Queen Of The Dead
by lizteroid
Summary: A little story about the lovely Maura Isles. Rating changed to M for the next coming chapter. It's also a multi genre fic; Friendship comes first. Hurt/Comfort/Romance. And some Horror/Suspense/Tragedy. Enjoy folks.
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

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**Prologue;**

Jane Rizzoli knew she shouldn't be there, none of the Boston P.D should have been there. It was something tragic that had happened, accidents like that happened each year in the police departments around the Boston state and the other states in America. It was just something that couldn't be helped but when it happened, the dead were remembered properly and had special service awards.

Looking down onto that fragile and elegant face, Jane Rizzoli sighed and shook her head, not wanting to look. She had wondered why it had had to happen, Jane didn't understand why it had happened. Most of the time, she knew people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time for these kinds of accidents, but Jane Rizzoli knew that this had been no accident.

She stood dressed in her usual smart, boxy suit as she paid her respects to the dead. Jane hated funerals, she had been to so many and yet they still made her feel creeped out and uncomfortable. Jane stood shaking her head as she watched her colleagues and others involved move up to the varnished box to lay in some roses and drop in trinkets to be remembered, it was then she remembered something and it caused a gentle smile to wave across her lips as she stared down into the box.

"_You know, I'm not the one Darren Crowe keeps asking out, Maura. I wouldn't want to get a date with him!" Jane yelled across the autopsy lab to her Medical Examiner friend._

"_Jane, can you please have some respect for the dead?" Maura replied, seemingly not acknowledging Jane's comment as she looked to her friend with an un-amused gaze._

"_Oh, come on Maura, it's not like they can hear anything anyway!"_

_Maura didn't reply, she kept her gaze on Jane, trying to weird her out, like she often did with that stern expression etched upon her face. Usually it worked and Jane backed down, but today it was not working as the two had been joking all day about Maura's pet Tortoise, so of course, Maura thought about what had happened earlier on and she burst out laughing._

"_Glad you agree, for once." Jane grinned as she looked over at her friend who basically could not breathe with the laughter._

"_I'm still not going to say yes to Crowe. I know he just broke up with the wife, but that's not getting him the sympathy vote. I won't say yes, Jane." Maura chortled a little still, a permanent smile now across her lips._

Jane sighed a little and smiled still, it was a bittersweet smile as she looked into the coffin of her friend, Maura Isles. The brunette swallowed back her tears and softly reached to tuck back some stray hair behind Maura's ear, "You look as elegant as always, M." she smiled and then whispered, "Don't worry about your turtle, he's all safe with me." She couldn't help but smile a bit brighter as it had been their joke for so many years, "I miss you Maura. You're always going to be a part of me, girl." Jane sighed and then as she was walking away, she whispered, "Always." Looking once again back to Maura's lifeless body in the coffin.

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One;**

"What are you saying, Crowe?" Jane Rizzoli asked her teammate, Detective Darren Crowe. Things were tough for her on the Boston P.D team, she was the only female and had been for several years. She had the strength in both the physical and mental departments, of any of her male colleagues and was basically a better detective than most of them. She regarded the ignorant detective and frowned at him as he held her gaze with his usual smirk.

"Come on Rizzoli." He began still smirking, "You heard what I said."

"Yes, I did. I was questioning what you told me."

"There's a chick down in the autopsy lab." He repeated for her.

"She works here?"

"Bingo!" Crowe replied, sarcasm was laced in his voice as he began to turn away from Jane, "Guess I'll let you sort that out then…defend your turf."

"Crowe..?" Jane began, a soft smile upon her lips, her tone mirrored the expression on her face. As he turned around, Jane's smile turned into a devious smirk and she continued, "You're such a dick." She huffed a bit then decided she would go and pay a visit to this 'chick' down in the autopsy lab. She had to be young if Crowe had called her a chick. Crowe watched Jane leave before he turned back to his coffee and his desk, walking around it and taking his seat behind it before he began on his case notes from the case of the Cohen's.

Entering the autopsy lab, Jane Rizzoli had guns blazing as she let her eyes scan the horizon of the room. She was searching for the 'chick' who had invaded her territory and taken the shine off of her being the only female on the Boston P.D team. Stepping inside the room, Jane then saw her, from behind.

The intruder was wearing fitted slip dress as she worked on the cadaver on the slab before her. She had caramel colored tresses and she smelled of that refined scent; Chanel No.5. Jane hacked a bit to clear her throat of the Chanel, and it caught the woman's attention. She looked up at the coughing Rizzoli, and she raised a questioning brow to her, from behind her operating goggles.

"Who are you?" Jane came right out with it. There was no beating around the bush with Jane Rizzoli.

"My name's Maura Isles, I'm the new Medical Examiner. You must be Detective Rizzoli?" Maura smiled a friendly smile before she took in Jane's appearance and then continued anyway without Jane having answered, "I've heard a lot about you, and I highly commend you for it."

Jane was taken aback by Maura's comment and she didn't know how to respond to what she had said to her. Jane didn't know if she liked this new woman at all, she wanted to like her but she had taken away her spot as the only female in the team, so for that she already resented Maura Isles, however that comment she had made had been a compliment so she liked her. Rizzoli nodded her thanks to Maura and she smiled curtly, before she moved into the room a little more.

"Can I ask what brings you here, Detective?" Maura questioned softly as she picked up a scalpel, delicately in her gloved fingers.

"Detective Crowe told me I should come and meet the…the new member of the team."

Maura let a soft and knowing smile sweep across her lips as she bowed her head and looked down to the flesh she was about to cut through with the scalpel in hand, "Because I'm female." She responded gently.

Her reply left Jane Rizzoli lost for words. The detective stood with her mouth agape slightly before she finally found the word to respond to Maura's comment, "Yes." She replied, a little embarrassed that she had been able to read her like a book. Jane blamed herself for being so easy to figure out, to men she wasn't.

Maura glanced up, the light reflecting off of the plastic operating goggles she wore, "You know, it's quite alright you feel that way. I suppose a lot of women would feel that way if they'd been the only female on a team for so many years and then another woman came in and stole their thunder." The Medical Examiner stated, "However, I'm not one for attention, I like being around the dead because they give me no attention yet, I give them my full attention." She smiled gently, once again looking down back to the cadaver before her on the slab.

Jane couldn't help but stare at Maura with a raised brow. The detective really thought this chick who Darren Crowe had told her about would really have been something. She was alright, she was weird. Though Jane wanted to loathe this new woman for doing exactly what she had just said she hated to do, she felt drawn to her at the same time. That feeling, she didn't like one bit.

"Do you need anything else, Detective?" Maura stood, her hand poised with the scalpel hovering over the skin of the body she was doing the autopsy on.

"No. No, I don't." Jane replied and she sighed a bit, "I should be getting back to the case."

"We should have coffee sometime." Maura smiled her big, friendly smile to Jane once again and nodded a little as if to prompt Jane to reply with her answer immediately, "It would be nice to get to know one another, since we're going to be working closely together."

Jane frowned deeply and she blinked a bit to Maura, "We are?"

"Well, yes. You are the Detective in the Homicide department and I'm the Medical Examiner." Maura explained how she meant the comment she had said just a little before.

"Oh right." Jane replied and she sighed then before she nodded, "Well, I guess see you in the canteen or something."

"Sure, I'd like that." Maura replied and nodded to Jane as she watched the brunette Detective leave the room once again. Maura stood with the scalpel poised for a few seconds more before she looked down to the body before her and she sighed a bit to herself, "You know. I really prefer to hang out with my patients, you would never find any other doctors saying that." She muttered, it was to herself but she acknowledged the cadaver on the slab in front of her, "It helps me to understand what their personal lives were." She said as she then began to slice through the tissues with the pointed end of the scalpel.

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading, lovely people. Please remember to _**R&R.**_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two;**

Now she saw how much Jane Rizzoli had put up with while she had been part of the Boston team, and being the only female in that male dominated space, she admired the Detective and really looked up to her. Maura could never have done anything like that, yet now, she was a part of that same male dominated world with Detective Jane Rizzoli. It was at that moment when Maura spotted her fellow female colleague among the sea of immature, fraternal acts of the other Officers and Detectives in the canteen of the P.D, "Can I sit here?" Maura asked Jane as she stood with her tray after having wove through the seats and tables, seating the men.

Jane looked up at Maura with a look of 'I am very pissed at you right now' and Maura was taken aback with that expression. Things were totally different in this workspace than they had been and to what she was used to back in the lab where she had trained up. Seeing that Maura was taken aback, Jane sighed dutifully and she gave a crooked smile to the newbie, "Sure, you can sit here."

"Thank you." Maura had not felt more relieved in most of her life. She was sure she could get Jane Rizzoli to be her friend or at least get close to her being friends with her. No, Maura wanted to achieve her original goal of getting Rizzoli as her friend. It had to work.

While Maura was thinking that, Jane couldn't help but think how much she wanted to be swallowed up by the ground right now. She knew that the guys were all staring at the two of them, knowing that they were looking at the newbie female on the team, and they were wondering why she had sat with Jane; the non stylish, non feminine detective, and why she hadn't sat down with any of the younger and more attractive guys. Jane hadn't been jealous of Maura up until now when she noticed the attention and all of the turned heads.

Maura suddenly felt like she had walked out of a fairytale and into the real world. She felt a lot like the princess from a Disney movie she had recently watched. Looking up, she saw Jane's expression, "Jane, is there something wrong with the food?" she questioned softly and looked down to her own plate of food.

"It's not the food." Jane answered shortly.

"Then, what?"

"Look around M.D" Jane hissed a bit, but low enough for non of the officers to hear her tone, "See all the heads turning this way?" she suggested at the reason she was mad.

"Why are they all staring?" she asked.

"You're serious?" Jane chortled, a little snide in her tone.

Maura gave a soft shrug and then a nod as she waited for Jane to answer her own question. Maura took the few seconds in which Jane was silent before she answered to look around at the other Boston P.D colleagues she would work with at some point, and she gave out some soft smiles to the officers before she looked back to Jane, when her voice broke into her thoughts.

"It's cause you're female." Jane answered finally, "Look around, no other women but us, remember!"

With Jane's tone, like ice, Maura felt as though she had been slapped in the face for taking the job at that P.D, she just wanted to do her job properly and help to solve the cases with her medical expertise. Maura felt her cheeks flush red as she felt more eyes on the two of them sitting together. She finally got the guts to speak up to Jane, "Why do you dislike me already?"

"What?" Jane snapped a bit as she bit into her apple, the skin crunching as her teeth dug into the fruit and her teeth tracked backwards as she pulled apart some of the green skin.

"Ever since I got here, you've been nothing but mean and if I may say so, a little rude to me."

"I'm not having this conversation now. I can't do it here, okay?" Jane sighed harshly before she cleared her throat, "You wanna confront me, do it in the autopsy lab." Jane said, making the choice final before she lifted up her tray and dumped everything into the garbage, and then walked out of the canteen to go to her desk.

Maura sat there still as she took in and processed everything that Jane had said and done within the four hours since she had met her, she came to the conclusion that Jane didn't take to any kind of threat very well. She guessed that nobody liked any threats but Jane was something else, she had a fiery temper and could go off at any given moment with the wrong words said.

Looking around the canteen, the male colleagues were still looking at her, she nodded to them and smiled soft smiles to them before she finished off her hummus and crackers, and then lifted her tray with all of the grace to dump it and head on back to the autopsy lab, to finish off the current autopsy she was working on; Elana Cohen, a woman of nineteen who had been bound and attacked in a brutal way, just like the same way that The Surgeon had done to women around Boston and Massachusetts. She decided on heading back to her domain, to skulk in the comfort of her own zone.

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three;**

Looking up casually from the workspace he was leaning on, a handsome Detective (or so she thought) looked up at Maura as she entered her own laboratory to escape the men in the canteen and from Jane Rizzoli. Maura used the autopsy lab as somewhere she could escape the real world and be with the people who listened but provided no answers for her. That's the way she liked to spend her days and her nights too.

She swallowed softly as she looked at the man standing across from her, blinking softly though as if she was lost in her own world, like Alice lost in Wonderland, she often felt like that when she had no idea what was happening in the real world, it was usually a situation that involved a person who still had a pulse and could hold a conversation. People often had a lot of trouble trying to hold a conversation with Maura as she liked Science, and often judged them on their skin or how their hair fell. She would often mentally diagnose them with some genetically passed-on disease or syndrome, and that would freak them out, make them paranoid and send them on their way.

Maura had often wondered why she had no friends, besides from Bass of course. Bass was her pet tortoise who she had owned since he was only small, small enough to fit in her palm. Still she stood watching the man across the lab from her and she let her head tilt a little to show she had regarded him and it was now his turn to act or speak up, preferably the latter in Maura's mind.

"Doctor Isles." Maura heard him speak up, he had a strong baritone voice and her head moved back into its proper place, her neck as graceful and elegant as a swan's as she paid attention on this man.

"Yes, that would be me." She replied to him, nodding gently, a tone of questioning in her voice as she answered.

"I'm Agent Simmons."

Maura looked to Simmons and smiled softly, she could see a playful twinkle in his eye as he offered his hand out to her to make her acquaintance. Before she knew it, Maura had her own hand in his and she had stepped nearer to the agent, still smiling delicately up at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Maura spoke up after what seemed forever, during their first moments together, when the impressions upon each other count the most. Thinking of that, Maura could have almost kicked herself for taking so long to say anything in reply back to him, "Is there a first name that goes with the title?" she asked him jokily.

Chuckling a little as Maura broke into gentle laughter, he nodded and replied, "Alex."

She also nodded, in reply before stating her first name for him in case he didn't know what it was, "Maura."

"That's a beautiful name." Alex told her, looking at her softly as they each let go of the other's hand and let them drop down to their sides.

Maura had already began to blush as Alex spoke up about her name, "Thank you." She hadn't noticed he'd now stepped nearer to her and was leaning against the counter with her, both of them with their back to the door.

"You don't' have to thank me." Alex smiled brightly, "It's the truth."

All of a sudden, Maura felt his palms against her jawline and her face was moving in closer to his, it was all happening in slow motion, and he was controlling it. That was a thing Maura disliked, for the man to control whatever was to happen in a relationship.

"Ah, great! Not only are you another female on the team, but you have to go and bring in your boyfriend!" Jane hissed at the couple who were standing in the lab, feet away from her.

Maura jumped away from Alex basically and she looked to Jane, a guilty expression written across her face as she stood motionless staring across at the Italian Detective. It was in that moment Maura realized what had just been about to happen and she mentally thanked Rizzoli for it, probably she would verbally thank her later on.

"Jane, it's nothing like that." Maura tried to begin to reason with Rizzoli.

"Don't give me that shit, Maura!" Jane barked back, glaring between the M.E and the stranger standing near to her. She had gone in all guns blazing, almost literally and it had all been because she had saw an attractive woman join the team as the new Medical Examiner; she'd seen how the men on the Boston P.D team looked at Maura when she had entered the canteen and Rizzoli had gotten jealous of that, it was then she saw Maura and Alex together and jumped to massive speculations, all because her mother had been on her back once again to find someone who would take care of her little 'Janie'. Jane was sick of it.

Maura was actually taken aback by Jane using that language with her and she raised both of her brows at Jane, before she then frowned and looked down forlornly. She wouldn't dare look at Alex, in case Jane brought him into it. It had nothing to do with Alex and Maura didn't want to put anything that they could/might have had going at risk.

"You know what? I'm gonna come back later!"

"Jane…" Maura tried softly, looking up at Jane as she saw her heels wheeling around to leave the lab, "Jane, I'm sorry for whatever I've done to upset you, I don't mean for it to happen." Maura had no idea what the heck she was saying, she was never comfortable around living people and often got rather mixed up with speaking to them.

"Upset? You call this upset, Maura?"

Maura actually did manage to steal a glance at Alex and she saw he was standing there as if his lips had been glued together, his eyes wide as he listened in on the exchange between these two women before him. She then looked back to Jane and sighed, slightly defeated, "I'm sorry…"

Jane didn't seem to acknowledge the apology from Maura, instead she just growled and huffed before she left the lab to go and take some of her anger out on Crowe or Korsak. Both Alex and Maura watched her leave from behind the safety of the glass partitions.

Maura looked up and behind at Alex before she swallowed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to be in the middle of that."

"Maura, don't apologize, I've been told Detective Rizzoli can be like that."

"Still…you shouldn't have had to see that, Alex." Maura said softly, "Jane's just a loose canon waiting to go off, not that she's dangerous, but she's…"

"Feisty." Alex interjected for Maura.

"Yes. Feisty." Maura agreed, nodding. She couldn't help but look up into his face, taking in all of his features as they stood before one another, she was in a state of awe around Alex. It was as if she had known him for quite sometime before their encounter, and Maura liked that feeling.

Although Maura enjoyed that feeling she got around Alex, she did not want him to pull her to him and try to kiss her again, she just wasn't that type of girl to do something as spontaneous as that, and especially in work, on her first day there. Okay, so she was attracted to Alex, but any woman with a brain and eyes would be attracted to him. He was perfect in her eyes, so far with what she had seen him display to her.

The brunette was cautious though now, even she had been bitten by the very bad love bug and had her heart broken, all just a few months back, before she moved to New England. It had seemed the perfect romance, they had been made for each other and so everyone thought. They ad both been high flyers and gave something back to the world, but things had gotten stressful for them, and Maura had found herself without someone laying next to her in bed most nights. And as much as she had hated going through the divorce, she had made herself do it.

As she looked back up at Alex, she saw no glint of what she thought she may see. She had to be cautious as to not be the other woman, she had worked too hard and her reputation would be blemished forever if that would be the case. Maura hadn't dated anyone since her divorce and she had done well on her own, even when men had come onto her strong, something was different about Alex though, and it made her want to start dating again. She was ready, just not at work.

As if Alex could read what she was thinking, he looked to his watch and sighed a little before looking back to Maura, "Can we do this later? Will you have dinner with me?" he asked her gently, smiling charmingly to her.

Maura felt inclined to say yes to Alex, and so she did, "I'd like that." Maura smiled and nodded coolly, even though she was almost melting on the inside.

"I'll make reservations, do you like Moroccan food?"

Maura smiled up at Alex and she nodded softly to him, "I do." She actually couldn't believe he'd just walked into her office and they'd found instant attraction to each other. Maura didn't think about why he was in her lab, but she could ask him that later possibly, she was just attracted to this man and her head was leading in this one. It had been too long without someone looking after her a little, and she decided it was about time for a new someone in her life.

"Will you still be here at 7:30?" Alex asked Maura, meaning for an answer on where to pick her up and take her out.

"I'm not quite sure, I could give you my cellphone number?" she suggested to him.

Alex smiled and nodded a little, "That would be quite handy, I've lost mine…" he winked to her, making the punchline to one of those corny pick-up lines. It got her to giggle a little and he reached out to tuck some of her loose strands behind her ear, "You're so beautiful, Maura." Alex told her as he stood almost frozen to the spot, looking into her eyes.

Maura blushed once again in Alex's presence as he complimented her before she gently looked down to her shoes; her favorite Christian Laboutin's. She felt his eyes on her, taking in all of her beauty as she stood in humble modesty at his compliments before she looked up at him with those doe eyes, her lashes fluttering a little.

"I have to get back to my office." Alex told her before he leaned into her and gently pressed a chaste kiss to her delicate cheek and he fixed his jacket before he headed off in the same direction as Rizzoli had left from.

The brunette sighed contently before she smiled to herself and gently turned to the counter, readying herself to begin some of her workload. It was then she noticed that Alex had left his Blackberry on the counter they had just been standing at. She had meant to give him her cellphone number, but he had been in a rush to beat the lunchtime traffic back to his office. Maura gently reached down and scooped up the Blackberry before her, gently she opened up Alex's contact book and she input her own details into it, and placed it carefully into her purse for safe keeping.

As it happened, Maura was still at her lab when 7:30 rolled along, and she was still working, trying to right things with the people she'd upset that day, mainly Jane, however Jane had not taken too kindly to what she thought was a bribe from Maura, and had stormed off home, leaving Maura alone and distressed. She had been home already and gotten a change of clothes and a shower, just in case she had had to stay late at the lab, and now since she wasn't doing any heavy lifting stuff, she had changed into those clothes.

"Thought I'd find you here." Alex's voice almost sung out from behind her, and she felt that fuzzy feeling inside once again when she heard him there. Maura smiled to herself while she turned around to face him, "Maura…you look…stunning."

"Thank you." Maura replied delicately and smiled to Alex as he walked over to her, a matching smile spread across his own lips as he neared her. Maura couldn't help but gaze at Alex. He wasn't perfect looking; he did have a few wrinkles and laughter lines, but it showed he was real, and that to Maura made him perfect.

"You ready to go?" he asked her with his smile still pasted to his face.

Maura nodded, "Lets. Oh, and you forgot this earlier." Maura reached over the counter for her purse, she felt Alex's eyes on her and she felt her cheeks flushing as she felt him taking in her figure. She swiftly turned around with the purse in her hand before she dug inside to find his Blackberry and handed it to him, her cheeks carrying a soft blush and a smile, "Here. I put in my number."

Alex smiled at her before he let a gentle chuckle escape his throat, "You're too cute, Maura. I don't believe that you haven't been snapped up by now." Alex stated as he moved towards the door to hold it open for her to pass through before him.

Hearing Alex say that, Maura bit her lip a little and she smiled gently, she didn't want to tell him her relationship history, she didn't want him to pity her or for him to get angry. She just gave another giggle and passed through the door, waiting for him on the other side, "Thank you." She responded in relation to him holding the door for her.

As Alex passed through the door, Maura smiled and took the arm he held out for her to link him, they walked together, side-by-side and stayed in silence, it wasn't an awkward silence though. Slowly they moved towards the elevator to head to the staff parking lot, Alex had left his car in the lot there, as he only had to show his badge to the gate and they let him come on in. The only sound was their footsteps and their breath as they walked along, glancing occasionally at each other and letting a smile blossom across their lips.

"So where are we going to?" Maura asked Alex gently.

"Just a little place called Miros."

"Miros?" Maura gasped a little as she stared up at Alex, "Alex are you sure?" she couldn't get over the fact that he had booked a reservation for them at that restaurant. Maura had wanted to go there since it had opened a few years back, but she had never been able to face the price list, so she had never went.

"Of course I'm sure, unless you don't want to go there?" he smirked a little, knowing she really did like the sound of going to Miros.

"No, I…I'd love to go there Alex."

"Then lets get going." He smiled to her, opening the car door for her. He watched Maura slide into the passenger seat before he closed the door and made his way around the car to get into the car, and head to the restaurant.

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four;**

Looking up to Alex as they parked up outside the restaurant, Maura smiled to him and she sighed a little. She knew she still had to ask him why he had just appeared in her lab, but there was the whole evening to enjoy before she asked him that. She came back into the real world when her passenger door opened and Alex had reached in to offer his hand to her, Maura gratefully took it and stepped out of the car, clutching her purse under her arm softly.

"After you, Maura." Alex smiled, holding open the door for the gorgeous Medical Examiner he found himself on a date with.

"Thank you, Alex." she smiled and felt her cheeks color as she passed him and went inside the restaurant, heading to the Maitre'D along with Alex as he asked for their table reservation. The waiter took them to the back of the restaurant, leading them to a secluded table, surrounded by plants and candles. Maura looked to Alex and smiled as he pulled out her chair for her to sit before he pushed her into the table, being the perfect gentleman.

"I really hope you enjoy tonight Maura."

"I'm sure I will, Alex." she replied softly and nodded, while the waiter walked off to retrieve some beverage menus.

Alex smiled reaching over for Maura's hand gently, to hold it in his own. He watched for her reaction to his reaching for her hand, she did nothing and let him hold her hand, she welcomed it in sorts. The waiter returned and Alex didn't feel Maura pulling away her hand, so he let go and she gently pulled back to receive the menu from the waiter, even though she already knew what drink she was going to order.

"May I take your order sir, madam?" the waiter asked, his accent was thick with Moroccan origin, though they could both understand what he had said.

"Yes thank you, I would like a house wine, please." Maura requested gently, she was always so politely mannered.

"And for you, sir?"

"I'll take a wine too, could you bring over the please waiter?" Alex requested gently and smiled to the waiter.

The waiter nodded and walked away, taking with him, the menus to return them to the holder and get the couple some food menus on the way back with their drinks. As Alex made to say something and take Maura's hand once again in his own, her cell rang out and she looked surprised at that.

"I'm sorry, I should take this." Maura told Alex as she dug in her purse for her cell phone. Finding it, she pressed the call button and spoke into the phone, "No Jane, I can't. No! Detective Rizzoli, I have said no, I won't do that. Good-bye!" Maura hissed slightly down the receiver to Jane on the other end of the call before she basically slammed the phone onto the table's surface and she looked, red faced to Alex, "I'm sorry Alex. Again, you shouldn't have had to hear that."

"Maura, it's fine...I-"

"It's not fine though Alex. It's not. I had no idea Jane would be like this." the brunette sighed heavily and as Alex made to take her hand once again, the waiter returned with their wine. Alex pulled his hand back away from hers and looked up at the waiter, Maura was grateful to the waiter for returning back at that moment, she also glanced up at him and gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

The waiter had left again when Alex decided to speak up again, "You shouldn't let her treat you like this, Maura."

"Like what?" Maura asked, peering over the top of her menu at him.

"All of this aggression and the calls..." he explained.

"This is the first time she's called me, and I hope it's the last." Maura gave a dissatisfied reply and looked back to her menu, trying to decide on something to order.

"Well, she'll have to get over the fact she isn't the only female on the team anymore."

"Yes, you're right, she isn't going to intimidate me, and get me to leave."

"Maybe she's just testing you." Alex shrugged.

"Testing me?" Maura looked to him, with a slight look of disbelief across her face.

Alex nodded, "You know, seeing if you can stand pressure and stuff." he shrugged once again.

Maura thought for a moment, she hadn't looked at it from that point of view and for some reason, that idea seemed to fit with how Jane had treated her already. She nodded a little at what Alex had said before she sighed, "She's not going to get rid of me."

"That's the right attitude babe." Alex nodded and smiled brightly to Maura.

"Babe?"

"Sorry, Maura." he corrected himself at the expanse of Maura's expression.

Maura nodded a little before she gently set her menu down and looked to Alex softer, "I know what I'd like."

"That's good then. I know what I want to...you." Alex smiled to Maura.

Maura felt her cheeks flush at Alex's comment and she smiled a little embarrassed. She looked down to the table softly before she gave a soft giggle, before she looked back up at Alex, "Oh, Alex..." Maura sighed a little, before the waiter returned to take their order for food. She had been saved once again by the waiter. When he had taken their orders, he walked away once again before the couple sat in silence for a little while, as they waited for their food.

* * *

After their meal, Alex paid and they left to head back to the car. On the way, Alex was smiling as he was walking alongside Maura, who was linking with him. She felt his eyes on her, and she looked up at him, "What is it?" she asked him.

"You're so beautiful."

Maura couldn't help but blush and look down.

"And so adorable." Alex continued, before he gently leaned in, his lips making their way to the subtly exposed skin of Maura's neck.

She was about to look up as his lips connected with her neck, and she closed her eyes. Maura allowed Alex to kiss her neck for only a few seconds before she pulled away a little and looked up at him, "Alex, can you take me home, please? Bass is going to be starving."

Alex looked to Maura puzzled but he nodded a bit, wondering who Bass was, "Of course, lets go." he smiled, nonetheless to her.

* * *

The ride home was a quiet one; Maura was exhausted and had the days' events on her mind, especially the way Jane had treated her. Alex soon pulled up outside her home, once she'd given him directions and he turned to her, smiling a little as he turned off the engine.

"Alex, thank you for tonight, it was lovely." she smiled and nodded, gathering her purse softly to exit the car.

Alex swiftly manoeuvred himself and left the car before Maura, walking around to get the door for her. Again he offered his hand to her, and she took it, stepping out of the passenger seat and gazing at Alex. He nodded to her, "Maura, thank you for tonight, you were amazing company, and I'd like to do it again, if you would?" he offered her.

"I would." she nodded in reply and smiled tenderly to him, "Alex, thank you again, I'm really tired though, would you mind if I just went inside?"

Alex smiled and shook his head, "Of course not. I have your number now, I can call you, right?"

"Right." she replied and nodded, "Goodnight Alex, thank you." Maura gently leaned and pressed her glossed lips to Alex's cheek before she dug through her purse and lifted out her keys to enter the house after their wonderful night.

"Goodnight Maura." Alex smiled as he waited for her to go inside safely. He moved back into the car and he gently got out his cell, "She's home. Yeah, she trusts me, I know it. When should I see her again?" he asked the person at the other end of the line, "Alright, I got it. I'll let you know how it goes then. See ya." he ended the call and started the engine before he smiled and took off away from Maura's house, plans forming in his mind already.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five;**

Maura shuffled into the lab the next morning, a proverbial smile pasted on her lips as she remembered the events from the previous night she had spent with Alex; a charming, handsome agent who had already began to work on stealing her heart. She softly set her purse and coat into the locker before she turned and almost jumped into the air when she saw Jane standing there behind her, waiting to talk with her.

"Jane!" Maura hissed a little at the Detective.

"Oh, I'm not that scary, Doctor Isles." Rizzoli replied to Maura's exclaimation.

"But you...I didn't even see you there when I came in."

"Too busy with whatshisname on your mind, huh?"

"His name is Alex, Jane." Maura scolded her new colleague, glancing to her with a disappointed expression drawn across her face.

"You know, I actually don't care!" it was Jane's tun to hiss then at Maura. She was sick of the new Medical Examiner already, and the poor woman had done nothing to really offend her, "I'm already pissed at you!"

Maura's disappointed expression changed to that of hurt and confusion as she heard Jane's words sting her deep, "Why...?" was all Maura could get out, softly. She was always so polite, even when she was in a position of being insulted.

"Why?" Jane responded as if Maura had grown an extra head.

"Yes, I don't understand w-" Maura cut off immediately, she sighed and looked to her shoes, noticing a spot of something on them before she turned her focus back to the reality and looked back up at Jane, "Do you have feelings for Alex?" the M.E asked Jane slowly.

"Alex? No!" Jane frowned deeply at Maura's question before she sighed harshly, "No, not at all!"

"Then, Jane please explain, maybe I can fix it."

"You can't fix it Maura!"

"How do you know I can't if you don't try me?"

"Fine." Rizzoli exhaled heavily before she crossed her arms defensively across her chest, looking to Maura as if she didn't want to be there. She didn't want to tell Maura what was bothering her, Jane didn't want Maura to have the upper hand over her, especially since she was new to the Boston team. Jane just stared at Maura before she saw the doctor give an encouraging nod to her, "Fine." she repeated again, "You wanna know what's wrong?"

"Yes, I do." Maura replied, ever so literal with her reply.

_Why does she have to be so fucking polite?_

Jane thought to herself as she continued to stare at Maura. The ever-so refined Maura Isles. Perfect Maura Isles, with everything she wanted. Rizzoli furrowed her brows before she pursed her lips and let her nostrils flare slightly, "I've worked my way up this ladder, to get to where I am. And you, you walk in here, in your Manolo Blahnik's, and you rule the office already. You don't even work in the office!"

Maura raised her brows, forlornly. She never liked confrontation and especially if it involved her at the center of it. She looked down at her shoes once again, sighing softly, "Jane, I'm sorry. You have to understand that it's not my fault, and I don't mean to make it seem like I'm imposing in your...territory?" she questioned her choice of words with Jane. She was being so apologetic, but it wasn't the half of it, she just didn't know how bad it was for Jane.

* * *

"Yo, Korsak!" Detective Frost, the youngest detective on the Boston P.D team yelled over to the lead detective in their team.

"Frost, what did I tell you about yelling over the office?" Korsak yelled back, smirking a little to him as he walked closer to Frost with a box of donuts balanced in his arm, "What is it anyway?"

"You saw the new Medical Examiner we got?"

"New Medical Examiner? No." Korsak replied and raised his brows in interest.

"Yeah, she's young, got fashion. Loves her shoes apparently." Frost replied, elaborating on information for Korsak.

"How young?" he questioned.

"Young enough to have graduated medical school within the last six years."

"So she's too old for you then Frost, huh?" Korsak let out a bellowing laugh and dug into the box of donuts, "Dig in, son." Korsak offered the box over to Frost.

"Thanks, but no thanks Korsak. I'm still not trusting my stomach after the scene two days ago." Frost replied, eyeing the sugary snacks in the box and seeing the icing on Korsak's fingers, knowing he would move them to his mouth and make sure he sucked all of the icing from his fingers and nails, before digging back into the box for another donut.

"Your loss, kid."

"Well, not really, maybe it'll help me stand a better chance with the new M.E..." Frost smirked over to Korsak before he stood up from his desk with a folder to head on down to ballistics.

Korsak sat at his desk and looked to the donut in his fingers before he stopped his hand halfway in suspension before he could taste the sugary snack, "Damn, the kid's right." he muttered to himself before dropping the donut back into the box and pushing it away from himself.

* * *

"Yes, Maura, I'm jealous of you. Happy?" Jane hissed to the new doctor.

"Jane, really there is no need to be jealous of me. I don't understand why you are." Maura replied.

"Are you kidding?"

"About what in particular? I...I don't joke around."

"Of course. You're too straight-laced." Jane muttered under her breath but it was loud enough for Maura to hear it. When Rizzoli looked up, she saw Maura's hurt expression at her own comment before she sighed and continued, ""You're just so perfect, you got the guy after like four hours. You're always dressed like you're ready to walk a catwalk in Milan...do I need to go on?"

"Jane that's really no need to be jealous of me."

"It's not? Apparently my reasoning seems to think it's a perfectly good reason to be jealous of you Dr. Isles."

After a few moments of silence and awkwardness, Maura spoke up finally, "Jane please, can we just stop this?" Maura suggested.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because I can tell you secretly want to be friends with me." Maura smiled gently, it wasn't a gloating smile, but knowing. When Maura smiled like that, it was always innocent.

"Are you sure about that?"

Dr Isles took a few moments to consider it before she nodded softly, "Yes, I'm certain." she smiled a little more before she saw a flicker of a smile across Jane's face, "So, do you want to stop this?"

Jane looked to Maura, considering the offer before she finally spoke up and replied, "Yes. Yes, I do." she ended on a sigh.

"Good, now would you like some cheese?" Maura asked Jane, making her way over to the small fridge, and glancing over her shoulder to the detective.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six;**

Jane couldn't help chuckling as she watched Maura move over to the fridge and bend over to open it, to take out the said cheese she wanted to share with the Detective. The brunette smiled a little as Maura turned around and held up a small platter of the cheese before walking back over to where Jane was standing and she placed it onto the slab between them, so they could share. Jane gently took a piece after Maura had offered her first pickings and she raised it to her mouth before she noticed there were two fridges over the other side of the room Maura had just occupied, "Doc?" Jane began, her eyes flicking between Maura, the cheese and the fridges opposite them.

"Yes, Jane?" Maura had already bit into the cheese and was happily enjoying its quality and maturity. She looked up at the Detective softly, her hazel eyes searching Jane's own almost black pupils.

"Which fridge is this from?"

It was then Maura looked down to her own piece of cheese, looked up at Jane and then over to the fridges, "Oh damn!"

"Urgh! Maura! From the dead fridge?" Jane basically flung the cheese back onto the platter from where she'd lifted it from, and dusted her hand of any remaining 'dead fridge' cheese crumbs on her skin. She didn't want to have the germs from that fridge on her.

"I'm sorry, I get confused. But it shouldn't matter." Maura began with her reasoning, "It's all sealed anyway." she smiled brightly and almost convincingly at Jane.

The brunette had to chuckle again at Maura, "You're one interesting chick, you know..."

"You mean strange, don't you?" Maura suggested, as if she were correcting Jane's choice of adjective for the M.E.

"I...didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it. Everyone does." Maura sighed and looked to the cheese. She softly scooped it up and gave Jane a glance accompanied by a sad almost lonely smile, "I should just throw this out. I won't eat it all anyway." Maura tried to justify her actions as she crossed the floor to the trash can. She always had to explain why she was doing something, it was just her way.

"Maura...you don't have t-" it was too late when Jane spoke up, Maura had tossed the cheese before the Detective had finished her sentence, "Nevermind."

The blonde crossed back over to where Jane was standing and she looked up at her, "Jane, I know what people say about me. It's not rocket science to understand that they think I'm strange, but it's just who I am. I can't change that, but now I...I've met you and things seem to be changing already for me. I mean, look at Alex..." she smiled, it was a dreamy smile before she broke out of her daydream and continued, "Never in a million years did I see myself dating again..." she trailed off, realising she had maybe said something she shouldn't have done.

Jane didn't seem to notice though and she nodded a little at what Maura had to say, "Maura, I do understand, and for the record...I don't think you're strange." Jane smiled knowingly.

"Thank you."

"A walking, talking Wikipedia maybe, but not strange." Jane nudged Maura in a joking fashion and it was the shape of things to come between them.

* * *

"Yeah, it worked out all good. I'm seeing her again soon." he spoke into his cellphone, a spry smirk tugging the corners of his lips, he gazed to the companion next to him in the BMW and gave a knowing, powerful nod before clicking the cell shut, dismissing the caller.

"So we're on?" the companion asked, "The deal's on?"

"Sure it is, that's if you still want her dead..."

"Would I be in this car if I didn't?" the companion pointed out.

"Are we talking a specific time frame here?"

"No. Alex listen, I trust you on this, I'll leave you to it."

"Sure thing, boss."

"Do whatever it takes to get her trust, okay?" the companion told Alex, "Whatever it takes, I don't want Maura alive and being this successful."

"You got it."

"Good. Get out."

Alex nodded, stowed his cell in his blazer pocket and exited the car, leaving his companion in the driver's seat before he watched the BMW roll away out of the parking lot and he was left there staring up at the Medical Examiner's building, the place where Maura worked. He was wondering if she would be there now, or not. He didn't want to chance just showing up though, he'd literally only just came onto the scene, and he didn't want to blow his chance at gaining her trust, especially when there was a large sum of money involved, and waiting to be paid into his bank account at the end of this special adventure.

* * *

"So, this is what it feels like to be accepted, huh?" the blonde quietly asked her new Detective friend. She classed Jane as a friend now since they hadn't yet argued in over two hours, which was seemingly the new world record for the two of them.

"What, you never had friends growing up?" Jane furrowed her brows at Maura.

"I was sent to boarding school. Like I said, I was different and I knew it." Maura explained, "My parents knew it too, but they were proud of me, I was getting the top grades in all of my classes."

"So your best friends were your top grades?" Jane questioned.

"I guess you could say that." Maura nodded and smiled gently, almost innocently.

Jane stared at Maura, just taking in her personality a bit before she spoke up again to Maura. She had watched her for a few minutes, hoping she hadn't made the new doctor uncomfortable, but surely what she next asked her did make her indefinitely uncomfortable, "You're not a...virgin are you?" she asked.

Instantly the color rose in Maura's cheeks and she swallowed, "Uhm...no, no I'm not."

"Is that what you meant before, when you said about dating again?"

"What did I mean?" Maura asked, tilting her head at Jane's question.

"I don't know...when was the last time you had a date, Maura?" Jane asked, "Not including Alex..." she soon saw Maura's expression and she sighed, "Sorry, I'm being too personal. I'll stop." Jane smiled to Maura, "I hope you're not offended by my questions, Doc."

Maura gave a meek shake of her head, indicating she was fine by Jane's questions.

Or so it seemed.

"Well, you should just tell me to stop if I ever get too overbearing, okay?" Jane smiled at Maura.

"Jane, I couldn't."

"Yeah, you can. Sure you can!" Jane gave a soft chuckle, "You can Maura, anyone can."

"Jane...?" Maura looked to Jane.

The Detective instantly stopped and grinned, "Okay. Woah, see...!"

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven;**

So the two women had become friends once again. Things had been great for the three weeks or so since their argument had caused huge rifts in the Boston P.D, but now both Jane and Maura had sorted things out. All of Jane's fellow Detectives had noticed that she seemed to be happier now that she had befriended Maura, well they were bound to notice because; A: Jane was usually the hard ass who worked the best on cases, B: Maura brightened their day by stopping by in those immaculate designer dresses to tell Jane something, and C: Jane had ceased complaining that she wasn't the only female working in the Boston team anymore.

It was everyone's lucky day.

Almost.

The two were sitting at Jane's desk, talking about Jane's mother and generally enjoying the little break both of them had from their routine. Jane smiled across from her chair to Maura, perfectly styled and looking extremely radiant as she always did. The brunette often wondered had she trained at medical school, wearing the same garb she was wearing now, or had Maura been told to wear scrubs and unflattering clothing like the rest of the class. As she thought of that scene unfolding, some several years ago, she couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the images flashing through her mind.

"Jane, why do you find my last comment amusing?" Maura asked the Detective sitting across from her, sipping her coffee with her hair framing her face like some wild mane.

"Wha-" Jane began before she saw Maura's expression.

"You weren't listening, were you?" the blonde asked, a knowing expression painted across her face.

Jane softly narrowed her eyes, keeping her smile across her lips though as she looked at Maura, "How can you read me so easily?"

"Well, I took studies in profiling as well as psychology, and I can read how a person is feeling just by how their Occipitofrontalis, Procerus and Platysma contract." Maura replied to Jane's query with sufficient knowledge and a hint of showing off over her qualifications. It was then Maura caught Jane's expression, "But...you didn't want to know that. It was a rhetorical question...?"

"Yes Maura, it was rhetorical." Jane answered Maura's obviously non-rhetorical question, paused for a few moments before she then asked the blonde Medical Examiner, "Do I even want to know what the Occi-octopus-alis, Pro-active and the Plasma are?"

The blonde smiled a little at Jane's efforts for the theoretical terms for the facial muscles often adopted to express one's emotions. Maura softly looked into Jane's eyes before she saw Jane look away, to the behind and side of Maura to be exact.

"I think you'll find it's the Occipitofrontalis, Detective Rizzoli." came the calm voice of someone they both already knew; Alex.

"Alex?" Maura smiled up at him, "What are you doing here?" she stood and softly blushed when he leaned in and pecked her cheek.

"Well, we still didn't have that second date yet." he began, "You want to join me tonight? I made us reservations at the Rialto, you fancy it?"

Maura's face lit up at the mention of that restaurant, she knew it was ultra posh and expensive, two things that Maura liked, a lot. The blonde looked to Jane and then back to Alex and bit her lip, "I...I'd love to go with you." she nodded softly.

"Great! I'll pick you up around seven thirty. Here again?" Alex asked her.

"No, I should be home tonight, you can pick me up at home." Maura smiled to him.

"Brilliant, I'll see you then." Alex softly leaned in and pressed his lips to Maura's in a soft kiss before he pulled back and moved out of the bullpen.

"This is only your second date with him?" Jane finally spoke up, watching Maura as she sat back down across from the Detective.

"Yes, why?"

"No reason. Just seems to me he's desperate to get his rocks off."

Maura's eyes widened at Jane's comment and she stared at her.

"What?" Jane shrugged at Maura's gaze.

"Rocks off...?" Maura questioned softly, furrowing her brow a little.

"Yeah, you know, a bit of pleasure, getting his rocks off. You never heard of that one before?" Jane asked Maura speculatively with a brow raised.

"Oh, you mean ejaculation?" Maura finally got what Jane was saying, and she replied in a rather indiscreet volume before she continued, "Why do you call it rocks?" Maura questioned Jane, she was ever the literal person, it always got in the way of her social skills, "Sperm and semen has no anatomical likeness to any earthly rock. I don't understand."

"It's a metaphor, Maura."

"It's not a very good one." the blonde replied.

"Well, would you have preferred I cursed instead?" Jane asked Maura, smiling knowingly.

"Jane..." Maura looked to the Detective.

"Exactly." Jane smiled proudly, knowing she'd won that one.

Maura waited a few minutes before she looked back up at Jane after sipping some of her coffee, "Do you ever wonder where Agent Dean is?" the blonde watched for Jane's reaction, "Or Lt. Grant?"

"Woah, what brought this on, Doc?"

"Well, it's just because I am going on my second date with Alex this evening and, I was wondering if you ever thought about what your evenings would be like if Gabriel or Joseph were around."

"You're not trying to get another double date thing going again, are you?" Jane asked jokily, somewhat avoiding the question Maura had posed.

"Of course not, but you are evading the question Detective Rizzoli." Maura smiled to the brunette across from her.

"I do wonder, but it's not like I lose sleep over it." Jane shrugged a little.

"Right." Maura replied simply, waited a few more moments before she continued, as nonchalantly as she could manage, which wasn't very, "Because, I can set you up with someone."

"After the last experience with Jorge, I'd rather not." Jane responded swiftly, "Thanks anyway though, Maura."

"Okay, so Jorge may have not been the...best choice of a blind date for you, but not everybody is like him Jane." Maura smiled softly and re-crossed her legs, the opposite way to what they had been, her remarkable black and emerald green Jimmy Choo's now on full display, "How do you think I met my husband?" the blonde got out before she realized what she'd said, and she couldn't really even speak then. Jane was looking to her with a new found curiosity.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight;**

"Uh, back it up a bit, Maura." Jane said to her blonde friend and she raised a brow before she continued with what she was going to say, "Your...husband?" she questioned her best friend.

Maura looked to Jane. She had hoped that Jane wouldn't have caught onto what she had said about her 'husband' but Jane was a woman who knew what time it was, so to speak. She had to know what was going on in situations and she had to pay attention to details, as a cop, it was mandatory she have those skills. The blonde sighed and she looked to her lap, seeing creases forming in her perfect dress, she knew it was going to be hard to concentrate now she had seen them there.

"Maura..." Jane sighed a little, before her friend spoke up.

"Yes, husband." Maura nodded, confirming what she had let slip before to Jane, "We're separated though."

The Detective sat in stunned silence as she stared at Maura. Her best friend. Jane shook her head and sighed, "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Maura. She was pissed but she couldn't stay pissed at Maura when she looked like that.

The blonde was sitting with her hands clasped in her lap as she looked down to the creased dressed before she blinked a few times, not wanting Jane to see she was in that vulnerable phase. Maura was not feeling 100%, and was in that emotional state where seeing the cute advert for toilet rolls with the puppies could make her cry. She didn't feel like explaining things yet, but she knew there was a hell of a lot to explain to Jane, and Jane needed to know.

"Maura, I'm your best friend. You tell me everything, why couldn't you have told me this?"

"I couldn't, Jane." was all Maura replied with, for now.

"You couldn't?" Jane raised her brows, and her voice slightly to Maura's reply. Seeing Maura cower a little to her raised tone, Jane let her voice quieten again as she spoke to the blonde, leaning in closer to her to talk to her, "Why couldn't you tell me?"

Maura raised her eyes to Jane's. Hazel eyes, watery, meeting with Jane's almost black, passionate orbs. The blonde took a few moments to prepare herself for what she was about to tell Jane, "I didn't want you to think bad of me." she said to Jane, meekly. Her eyes were searching Jane's almost pleadingly.

"Think bad of you...Maura, what are you talking about?" Jane raised her brows to Maura before she moved her hands to Maura's upper arms, giving her a comforting hold, "You think I would think bad of you for not staying together with your husband?" she furrowed her brows a little to Maura. Jane looked a little hurt at what Maura's reply had been.

"For not living up to the being the true Dr. Maura Isles you know." Maura corrected her friend.

Jane leaned back in her chair then, slumping a bit as she looked to Maura, thoroughly perplexed at her friends' responses and at how she had acted. "Maura, I still would have accepted you, and it wouldn't have changed how I view you." Jane assured her friend.

"Jane, I can't tell you here. Can you come over later?" Maura asked as she noticed they were sitting at Jane's desk.

"Of course." Jane nodded to Maura's question before she sighed and carefully watched the blonde as she stood up and smoothed out the wrinkled dress she was wearing, looking to Jane. The brunette bit her lip before she asked, "Will you be okay for the rest of the day?"

"I will be quite fine. I may find it a little hard to concentrate...but I'm sure the wrinkles in my dress shouldn't bother me too much." she smiled to Jane before softly swallowing and gathering herself to leave for her autopsy lab, to continue with the rest of the day's work, before she could go home and talk with Jane about what her past was like. The blonde then disappeared out of the team bullpen and out to the autopsy lab without another word.

Maura was content on just doing her work for the day before she got to go home and see her loveable pet, Bass. She just wanted to help the deceased in finding what had caused them to come to the end of their life. She enjoyed being able to speak for the dead when nobody else could, that was her gift. She could trust the people who ended up on her slabs in the autopsy lab, they wouldn't make fun of her or argue with her about things she may have gotten wrong. But now, she just wanted to finish the day and be able to explain things to Jane.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine;**

So after the day of work, running around and case files, Jane found herself in the comfort of Maura's home. The brunette looked up at the blonde as she entered the living room with their drinks; beer for Jane and a glass of chilled white wine for herself. Maura took a seat next to her friend and she sighed before she let a silence envelope them while she thought about how to start with her story, she had promised to tell Jane what had happened in her past.

"Maura, take your time. There's no rush in telling me, you know." Jane told her blonde friend, she could see Maura was struggling already with finding the words to tell her, and she hadn't even spoke a single word yet to Jane.

"Jane, I really should tell you though." Maura replied.

"If you feel like it."

Maura sighed once again, it calmed her before she went over the words she was about to tell Jane one more time. The blonde looked to her friend, cradling her wine glass as she seemingly hid behind it, "I met Victor at a Medical conference in San Francisco, it was on Third World Medicine, I was thinking of becoming a part of Doctors Without Boarders movement." Maura began and looked to Jane before she let a bittersweet smile cross her lips, "After I'd given my speech about the autopsy rates in the Western and Third World countries, Victor had gotten up to give his speech, and I saw him there. He was dressed in his casuals; jeans and a creased shirt, but he stood there radiating this amazing emotion to the audience as he spoke about these children who could have been saved if the public would only send their support and sponsor a child for the $3 a month."

Jane sat there, she was taken aback as she listened to Maura's words. A man in jeans and a wrinkled shirt, Jane didn't think Maura would have even looked at a man in such a state. She saw the blonde's smile and she knew instantly that Maura had loved this man, but he had caused her pain, "He was a hippie?" the brunette asked her friend, trying to lighten the situation a little as she often did.

"Not per se." Maura replied softly, taking a sip from her wine before she set the glass down on her coffee table before she curled her feet underneath herself to keep them warm as she had no shoes on now, "Victor was...he worked for a company who brought aid to places that needed it the most. Places that need medical care and urgent treatment facilities. He was an idealist, an activist." Maura told Jane.

"What attracted you to him?" Jane asked her friend, "I mean, a guy standing on a podium in jeans and a wrinkled shirt...you complain about when your clothes are creased that you find it hard to concentrate on your work..." Jane nudged Maura playfully before she felt Maura's hand quickly give her a shove back.

"Intensity." Maura nodded simply, "Victor was intense. He had passion. I liked that."

"And it burned out?" Jane asked softly, raising her brow to Maura.

"No." Maura responded simply again. Everything still being so linear as she replied to Jane, "No, Victor was always jetting off places, I was back home in San Francisco, working long hours. We never got to see each other, except when he came back from one of his trips. I got sick of living like that." the blonde explained before she continued, "Whenever I would feel lonely, I would buy shoes. Victor hated it that I'd spent money on myself and not sent money over to help with buying some pipes to build a village fountain." she looked down.

Seeing Maura like that, Jane frowned and reached to touch her blonde friends' hand. The brunette offered Maura comfort with that simple gesture. Jane gently swallowed and she watched her friend for a few moments, "Maura what happened?"

The blonde just shook her head a little and looked down as she heard Bass bumping into the sofa near to where her feet had been a few moments before, "We just burned out. We got divorce papers drawn up and separated our belongings, and that was it. No talks, no disagreements, I think we both respected how the other felt and wanted to live. Victor and I, we were too different."

"So, you both just let it go?" Jane asked. Maura looked down again and she didn't reply. Jane squeezed Maura's hand then, "Maura...?"

"While he was away in Phuket..." Maura closed her eyes and bit her lip briefly before she opened them again, catching Jane's chocolate brown eyes with her own hazel, "He met a nurse. French. They had an affair." the blonde almost whispered, "I had expected it, Victor was like a man from the Diet Coke commercial. We'd be out somewhere and I'd see women starring at him, almost devouring him when they thought I wasn't looking." Maura gave a soft, saddened smile in Jane's direction.

"And you didn't say anything to him?" Jane raised both her brows.

"I couldn't." the blonde shook her head in reply, "The time we were together, in person...I had this ridiculous vision of us being the perfect power couple. Both of had strong occupations, and we were both level headed, smart..." she trailed off, "It just wasn't meant to be." Maura admitted.

"Hey." Jane said softly but firm to get Maura's attention, "Everything happens for a reason, Maur. I'll bet being with Victor has taught you a lot."

Maura nodded, "Why do you think I'm scared of people? Living ones..."

"You're afraid of getting hurt." Jane stated after she thought over it, "Maura, just because one guy treats you like that, doesn't mean they're all the same."

"I know, but it's..." she remembered a study she had looked into and she swallowed, "It's like Dianetics. A mental science. Say you ate something and got sick from it. Every time you ate that thing again after getting sick one time, your mind tells you that it's contaminated and triggers a reflex. It's like muscle memory." Maura tried to explain, "Every time I see an attractive man and I feel something toward him, I'm scared to let him into my life in case he turns out like Victor."

"Maura come on, like I said not all guys are like that. I used to think Joey Grant was that way, but look how he turned out. Confessed that he had a thing for me all those years." Jane smiled softly then she squeezed Maura's hand and gently continued, "Anyway, look who you've got after you; Tom from Ballistics, that mousy guy from the bar...Frost..." Jane smirked and added, "And not to mention that Alex chap. When's your next date with him?"

"Oh! I think I was supposed to call him!" Maura winced a little and let a soft chuckle out.

Jane joined in before she nodded and softly she sighed, bringing the tone back to serious for a few moments, "You know you can talk to me whenever you like, Maura?"

"I do." the blonde replied softly, nodding a little. She let a few seconds pass by before she added, "Jane? Thank you. You're the best friend I've had. Ever..."

"Oh, stop being soppy!" Jane then shoved Maura again like she had done before, "Let's finish these drinks, and put something on TV. I'm in the mood for something funny. You have any Jim Carrey movies?"

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten;**

Maura was in the Autopsy lab when he arrived on that Thursday afternoon. She was already working on an autopsy, the second of that day already. The blonde had been there since just before 7am that morning. Her back was to the door so she didn't see him come in, nor did she hear him either. He was stealthy as he crept up behind her and waited for the appropriate moment to cover her eyes. Maura gasped a little before she frowned and froze, and waited for the perpetrator to speak up or question her.

"Guess who?" came the strong and sturdy voice she hadn't expected.

"Alex. Please, I'm trying to work here." Maura replied casually, knowing immediately that when it wasn't Jane's voice or anyone else in the team, it had to be him. And that was confirmed when he removed his hands from her eyes and moved to her side as she turned slightly to see it was in fact him.

"Ahh, come on Maura." he smiled the smile that had her weak at the knees when she'd first saw it, "You wanna grab some lunch?" I offered her.

"Actually..." she trailed off when she realized she hadn't actually eaten anything for lunch, she had been working straight through from when she had arrived to now when Alex had interrupted her. Jane hadn't even been in to steal some cheese from the 'dead' fridge, so she hadn't stopped working, "Okay. Let me just finish up here." Maura smiled to Alex softly as she continued with what she had been doing, "I'm sorry I didn't call you back." she told him gently.

"Oh, it's fine. I know you're a busy woman, Doctor." Alex smirked to her before he moved away. Watching Maura performing an autopsy before he was about to eat lunch was something he would rather not see, though he did admire her meticulousness and extreme perfection whilst working.

She gently tied up the end of the last stitch in the Y incision she had made in the victim's chest and she looked to Alex then before she gently smiled to him and rolled off her gloves, removed her goggles and she walked over to the stand where she kept her labcoat. Removing the coat, she hung it up and reached for her amazingly scarlet coat, just as she felt Alex's lips on the side of her neck, where her neck met with her shoulder. He was behind her, though he kept his hands to himself for now.

"I missed you." he smiled against her skin, as his lips were gently pressed to her skin still from the kiss he had planted there. Alex really was into Maura, he could see she was a woman who really had her head screwed on, and knew what time it was all the time. Softly he turned her around to face him, his hands moved to rest on her hips when she was looking to him.

Maura smiled gently as she looked up at Alex and she noticed his eyes. She was telling herself not to diagnose him with some genetic disease passed down from his father's father. She bit her lip softly as she nodded and listened to what he had to say as they just stood there, looking into one another's eyes. She gently broke the eye contact then as she reached up to the coat stand to retrieve her red coat, it was then Alex leaned in towards her and pressed his lips to hers. This made Maura stop what she was doing and she flicked her eyes back to Alex who was now out of focus with being so close to her face, so she closed her eyes and let his kiss her.

He pulled back after a few moments, "See, I told you I missed you." he smiled to her and reached for her coat, gently holding it open for her to put her arms into. Softly Maura complied and she smiled to Alex and she removed her hair from the back of her coat and turned to him as she fastened it up.

"So where are we going?" she asked him lightly.

"Anywhere you want to." Alex replied, A'though I did make some very nice, cozy reservations at the new Italian place." he let Maura know.

"Edoardo's?" she exclaimed to him and smiled brightly, "I'd love to go there."

"Then lets get going." he smiled, holding out his hand for her to take once she's picked up her purse from beside her computer. Alex noticed the screen and chuckled to himself, "You've been shopping for shoes again?" he questioned her gently, "Who this time?"

"Jimmy Choo." Maura answered with a confirmatory nod of her head before she looked to Alex expectantly, before she put her arm through the one Alex offered her and they left.

* * *

Meanwhile, unbeknown to Maura, Jane was upstairs checking on any information she could find about Maura's ex husband; Victor Banks. She had researched into the company he had worked for 'One Earth' and how there had been a case against the charity. It was something that Jane could put money on Maura not knowing about, and it had happened when she and Victor had been married. The Detective sighed as she brought up some of the cases that 'One Earth' had been charged with; a village in India who had been massacred during the night, all the bodies had been burned afterwards. Another in Israel, similar happenings had occurred there too.

Bringing the information up on her own computer, Jane couldn't help but think about the monster Maura had been married to, and had she known half of what Victor had been doing while he had been working for 'One Earth', Jane could only hope she didn't. For her friend's sake, Jane hoped Maura hadn't found out what Victor had been up to, but now, she wanted Maura to know what was happening and had happened in the past.

* * *

Maura and Alex were sat facing each other in the restaurant, after having their order taken by the rather charming and young waiter, Maura smiled to Alex before she fished in her purse and looked to her cellphone, "Alex, I'm sorry, I have to make a call, excuse me?" she asked him gently.

"Of course." Alex smiled and gently stood to help Maura up from her seat.

The blonde headed to the restrooms with her purse and her cellphone, she took the liberty of deciding she might as well freshen up while she made her calls.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven;**

"Jane, what is it? I'm out on a date with Alex." Maura sighed, slightly pissed that this was the second date Jane had interrupted with her phone calls to Maura.

"With Alex? Again?" Jane replied.

"Yes, with Alex. Jane, I like this one. He doesn't appear to be carrying any genetic disorders, this guy is one of the lucky ones...I don't want to screw things up with him." Maura smiled into the phone before she was cut off when Jane spoke up.

"Maura, I know...I want you to be happy."

"And I am, Jane but you seem to have a habit of interrupting my dates with Alex." Maura replied, her tone playful.

"Alright, alright. I guess wine and cheese night is off tonight?" she questioned playfully.

"Why would you think that, Detective?"

"Oh, don't make me spell it out, Isles. You know what I'm talking about...did you take your shave kit with you to the restaurant?" Jane questioned.

"Jane!"

"I know you're not as innocent as you make out to be, Doctor Isles...enjoy your date!" Jane swiftly hung up and chuckled to herself, leaving a stunned and flushed Maura with her cellphone still in hand.

The blonde freshened herself up in the bathroom, looking into her purse. How could Jane have known she'd brought along that little shave kit? Jane obviously had looked into Maura's purse a few times to know that she even had a small emergency shaving kit in her purse at all times. Once she was done, and calmed herself, she let herself out of the bathroom and she heard a song she hadn't heard in years;

_When I first saw you, I saw love._

_And the first time you touched me, I felt love._

_And after all this time, you're still the one I love._

_Looks like we made it..._

It reminded her of the time she had been married to Victor. It narrated their relationship, or at least what she had felt during those three years they were married to each other. She had saw him in that medical seminar back in San Francisco, in which she spoke up. Once she had sat back down, she had saw him and immediately felt compelled towards him; the ruggedness, the voice, the meaning of his words. Maura had felt instant attraction to Victor. She saw love. Love in his eyes for the people he spoke in behalf of. And as she stood there by the entrance to the restrooms, Maura saw that same look in Alex's eyes.

She saw the same thing happening with Alex. Herself falling for him that is. He adored her. He spoke about her with such animation and adoration. The blonde could feel herself wanting to be around Alex more and more. She wasn't Maura the bore-a to him. He found her to be interesting and intelligent, Alex could see past the science and he saw a woman who was highly educated, and beautiful.

Maura made her way back over to the table to be with Alex and she smiled gently to him as he stood out of politeness as she was seated again. The blonde flipped her hair a little before setting her purse on the table next to her, making sure it was closed securely, she didn't want Alex seeing the emergency shave kit in there.

"Sorry I took so long." she apologized to him gently and smiled tenderly.

"Hey, it's fine, I just took the liberty of ordering the famous lobster and sea bass for you." Alex smirked and took hold of Maura's hand in his.

_There. _There it was. That look in his eyes, Maura noted it.

"You're the best." she squeezed Alex's hand as she gazed into his eyes and smiled lovingly to him.

* * *

"Hey, Frost. Come, look at this." Jane looked across her desk and to Barry's.

"What is it Jane?" the Detective stood and frowned in question as he rounded his desk to go to Jane's and look at what she was looking at.

"You remember this case?" she turned her head to look at Frost who was standing behind her, raising her brows at his, waiting for his reply.

"Wasn't this that village in India?" Frost frowned and questioned Jane.

"Exactly. Put it up on the plasma." she told him before sliding her chair back and moving towards the screens where she could see it all clearer and make some sense from it.

"Done. So, what's the relevance of this?" Frost asked Jane.

The Italian Detective stood and sighed, setting her jaw as she crossed her arms across her chest. Jane stood staring at the multiple plasma screens, each showing parts of the case for her and Frost. She lightly shook head and with some conviction responded, "Maura."

Detective Frost was stunned and confused for a few moments, "Doctor Isles was involved with this?"

"Yes. She was." Jane replied, what she was meaning, was that Maura was involved with the monster who was behind it all. Not that she was involved with causing it all.

"Doctor Isles surely doesn't seem the type to be involved in something like this, Rizzoli."

"She was married to the 'type' who was involved in it." Jane snapped slightly at Frost, not really meaning to.

"Married?"

"Yes, Frost. Maura was married." Jane replied softer now, looking to the screens. She shook her head a little and looked between each of the screens, taking in the images there; the piles of torched bodies, the tin roof with the dead birds on, the aid workers looking on. She swallowed, "I only hope Maura didn't know about this."

* * *

"Thank you." Alex smiled as the waiter took away his plate and Maura's after their meal was finished with. He looked back to Maura and smiled that heart-melting, knee-weakening smile to her. Taking Maura's hand, Alex then spoke up, "Tell me about you properly."

"Alex, you know about me already." Maura smiled and she gave him a soft giggle.

"That is true." Alex nodded, "It is only our, what...seventh, eighth date?" he smirked and chuckled then.

"It's actually our ninth." Maura corrected Alex , "What I don't know is about you. What do you do? When's your birthday?"

It was then Alex shuffled closer to Maura and he smiled to her, causing her to turn her head so she could look at him properly. He looked into her hazel eyes and softly murmured, "There's plenty of time to find those things out." he smiled and moved his lips in towards her neck, peppering kisses there.

This caused Maura to close her eyes over, and lean into the kisses Alex were dusting over her skin. She let a gentle whimper escape her throat, "Alex..."

He kept his lips on her skin as he murmured, "What time do you have to be back in the lab?" before he continued kissing her neck.

"Everything's done, only if...if Jane c...calls me to come back." she replied, having a hard time getting a full sentence out.

"Then lets go." Alex muttered against Maura's neck. He reached down and took her hand on her lap, locking his fingers with hers while his other hand moved to her cheek, caressing along her jawline as his lips moved up her neck and to her lips.

"Wha...?" Maura trailed off as Alex's lips found hers once again and began to stand up, pulling her up with him. She pulled away from Alex's lips and looked to him, her eyes were matching his; dark with desire, her breathing was ragged to match.

"Come on, Maura. Lets get outta here." he looked over her body and quelled the urge to not jump her right there for all to see. He couldn't wait for the waiter to bring over their check, instead he dragged Maura over to where he was standing and produced his credit card, "Here. Take a $20 tip with this too. And make it snappy, eh?" Alex smirked and winked to waiter before he turned back to Maura, dragging his lips across her neck.

* * *

"No, Maura was married, his name was Victor." Jane repeated what she had just told Frost, to Korsak.

"Doctor Isles was married?" the older Detective raised his brows at Jane's statement.

"Why is everyone going idiot on me?" Jane snapped, "Yes, Maura was married! She and Victor Banks were married for three years before they finally decided on a divorce." Jane said and clicked a button on the remote, aiming at the plasma and brought up a picture of Victor Banks.

"Wow, the Doc surely has taste in fine things." Korsak chuckled, "Fine wine, food clothes, fine men..." he trailed off as the other two Detectives looked to him speculatively and he realized what he had said, "What? You know I'm kidding." he defended his statement about Victor's appearance.

"He may be easy on the eye, Korsak but he murdered an entire village in India." Jane told Vince.

"And Jane's hoping that Doctor Isles didn't know." Frost interjected his comment into the discussion.

Korsak eyed the younger Detectives and raised a brow, "And you're going to tell her, Rizzoli?" he asked her.

"She's gotta now Korsak. She was married to that monster for three years an-"

"Exactly Jane, was. Lets keep this marriage in the past where it belongs, huh?" Korsak said slightly sternly.

Jane huffed a bit and frowned at Korsak, "Would you have wanted to know if your wife was a murderer Korsak?" she turned the table on him.

"Don't be bringing me into this Rizzoli."

"Ah, jeez Korsak! Maura needs to know, okay?" Jane hissed a bit, her stubborn Italian nature poking through her veneer.

* * *

"How long til we get to your place?" Alex questioned Maura as he glanced to her from the driver's seat.

"Next turn off and then the second left." Maura replied, her breathing was still hitched, but not as erratic as it had been at the restaurant.

The blonde bit her lip and she continued to gaze at Alex even when he turned his focus back to the road ahead. She softly broke the gazing and turned to look out of the window on her passenger side. She couldn't believe she was doing this. With Brock things had been different, yes she'd taken him home but they'd only made it to the living room where they sat and talked about how well suited they thought Jane and Jorge were. This, this was different. Maura was taking a man home, during the day!

Alex indicated at the turning Maura had told him to and took the car off down that road, the first turn off was coming up and he couldn't yet see the second, the street where she lived. He glanced to her, seeing she was looking out of the passenger window, he took her hand in his and gently squeezed it, offering her assurance.

"It's okay you know." he smiled to her when he knew she was looking to him.

Maura swallowed and slowly nodded, agreeing with him. It made her feel at ease that Alex was holding her hand.

The turn off come up faster than she'd expected it to. Maura felt her breathing and heart rate on the increase again, knowing she was so close to home. So close to being with Alex. She softly shifted in the passenger seat and looked through the windshield to point out which house was hers; the one between the nice Jewish neighbor, and the lesbian couple.

"That's my house." she pointed to the elegant, detached, two storey home, painted a light white-grey color, with the house number next to the porch.

Alex pulled into her driveway and smiled to her as he parked up the car. He turned to Maura and leaned into her, pressing his lips passionately to hers for a few brief moments and then pulled away from her. Maura's lips followed and she frowned when they broke apart. Only to see Alex was unbuckling his belt and stepping out of the car. Of course, she waited for a few seconds before copying, she hoped none of her neighbours were watching, Alex was the second man she'd brought home in a month.

"Lets get inside..." Alex murmured to her softly and took her hand, the one that held her purse.

Maura nodded and smiled nervously, "Alright." she responded before grabbing her keys from the pocket inside her purse, leading the way to the front door and unlocking it. Before she could even turn around and offer Alex a smile, he had whipped her around and was backing her inside her house, his lips pressed feverishly to hers.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve;**

"Lets get inside..." Alex murmured to her softly and took her hand, the one that held her purse.

Maura nodded and smiled nervously, "Alright." she responded before grabbing her keys from the pocket inside her purse, leading the way to the front door and unlocking it. Before she could even turn around and offer Alex a smile, he had whipped her around and was backing her inside her house, his lips pressed feverishly to hers.

As she was backed into the house by Alex, his hands on her hips, she heard the door close over. He had kicked it closed with his foot and continued to kiss her almost fiercely now. Maura moaned into the kiss and moved her hands into Alex's hair, tugging slightly on it as his lips moved down to her neck and collarbone, nipping at her skin there. The blonde really couldn't string together any coherent thoughts right now with Alex's kisses affecting her mind like they were as she pushed Alex's jacket from his shoulders, leaving it there in the hallway.

Alex gently reached down towards the hem of Maura's dress before dragging his fingers up underneath the material of the dress, against her thigh. He nipped at her collarbone again, letting his fingers trail higher up her thigh, aiming for the place he wanted to be. Alex let his fingers brush against Maura's lace panties, feeling they were slightly soaked with desire. Desire for him. He had done that to her, "Maura, you're so hot..." he murmured against her skin, letting his teeth graze against her collarbone.

"Alex..." Maura murmured and closed her eyes tightly, "Bedroom. Now..." she leaned back against the wall as she felt Alex's fingers trailing over her panties, making her more slick with desire as his lips made sparks on her skin.

Alex pulled away from Maura, letting her dress fall back down and she looked to him as he pulled her with him, heading towards the stairs. Maura quickly got in front of Alex before they began on their quest up the stairs to her bedroom.

The minute she got in front of him, his hands found their way around her waist and she lost one of her shoes on the way. By the time they hit the upstairs hallway, both were panting and chuckling to each other. Since she only had one shoe on, she decided to ditch the other at the top of the stairs before Alex pulled her into him and then backed her against the wall behind her. He pinned her in, using his hands either side of her and against the wall to keep Maura there as he pressed deep kissed against her lips.

* * *

"So what do you plan on telling Doctor Isles, Jane?" Korsak questioned his former partner in crime.

"I don't know, maybe a little something called the truth...?" she suggested sarcastically and then continued, "She's been lied to a lot. Made a fool of..." Jane shrugged a little and took a seat at the desk, "I just want her to be able to trust us. We don't mock her like people have done in her life. with this, I can show her I'm looking out for her, that I have her back."

Korsak nodded and looked to Frost before they both looked to Jane.

"What?" she hissed a bit at their expressions.

"Just make sure we're not in the building when you tell her..." Korsak stated and cleared his throat, digging into the paper bag he'd walked in with, and getting out a donut.

"Oh, don't you worry Korsak. You're not going to let on you know about this. Not until I've told Maura." Jane responded, "Look, I'll tell her when she comes back from lunch with her date. Or, I'll go over to her place when we're done with work..." Jane smirked then before she continued, "If her date's done with her..."

Frost cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably as he glanced to Korsak a little and both then avoided one another's gaze. Jane of course noticed it and she narrowed her eyes at them.

"What?" she looked between the two Detectives in the room with her.

Again, Frost cleared his throat, "Nothin'. It doesn't matter..." he responded.

Jane leaned in closer to Frost, intimidating him into talking to her, "Yes. It does. If it's about Maura, spill it."

Frost leaned back in the chair as Jane leaned in towards him, he panicked, "Korsak's into Dr Isles." he quickly spat out, which relieved him of having Detective Rizzoli in his personal space.

"Frost! Jane, come on..." Korsak looked to his ex-partner and gave a smile to her that said 'do not kill me' and he continued, pointing down to Frost, "He's the one who's into her."

Jane sighed and just stood there, letting the two Detectives sort this out between one another. She shook her head and moved her fingers up to the side of her face, massaging her temple at the sound of Frost and Korsak throwing tantrums about who was more into Maura that the other. Typical male dominant behaviour.

* * *

By now, Maura was beyond caring about how wrinkled her dress was, or where she'd left her other shoe when she'd shed the second on the stairs. She just wanted Alex. She _wanted_ him. Badly. She was breathing harshly as she pushed open her bedroom door, and both she and Alex made their way inside. She pulled while he guided her.

As she plopped down on the bed, Alex stayed standing, he looked down to her and smirked, enjoying what he saw; Maura, her dress wrinkled and bunched around her waist, no shoes and sopping wet lace panties. Her eyes were dark with lust for him, and only him. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, when he opened his eyes again, Maura was sitting up and looking up at him, her lips parted a little before she moved apprehensive fingers to his belt and buckle.

Although her mind was telling her to rip off his trousers, Maura was taking it slowly. She knew how different paces affected different emotions and desires. The blonde smiled to Alex softly, making her look almost innocent though inside she was craving, her animalistic side was yet to come out and make its guest appearance. She let her fingers run up to touch the belt buckle and she watched Alex, making eye contact with him. Sex was in the room alright. And they were about to commence in that activity.

Alex watched Maura intently before he couldn't take any more of her deadly slow pace with unbuckling his belt and buckle. He reached down and unhooked it before passing it through the lops of his trousers and keeping his eyes on Maura at all times. The blonde smirked to Alex, knowing that he was almost breathless because of her, he wanted her and she wanted him. The sexual tension in her bedroom could be cut with a knife, the air was thick with lust.

He leaned down and pressed his lips hotly to Maura's as she pulled off his trousers. The two lay back into the comfort of Maura's mattress, letting her covers envelope them in the scent of her; vanilla and something else that was feminine, Alex couldn't quite figure what but it made him even more aroused than before. He groaned against Maura as she moved her foot up along his calf, her thigh moving alongside his as he lay between her legs. She could feel his arousal as his erection pressed against her, pressed against her inner thigh, close enough to her core to drive a gentle moan from her throat in reply to his as they continued to lip lock.

Maura felt Alex was taking too much control of this encounter already, so she gripped onto his shoulders and did her best to manoeuvre them so she was straddling him. She grinned at Alex and she swiftly dipped her lips down pressed her lips to his. She slipped her hand down Alex's body from his shoulder before she let it trail back up again, inside his shirt, feeling the taut muscles of a man who obviously loved to work out. She groaned a bit into the kiss when he allowed his tongue into the equation in her mouth.

Alex pulled back for both some air and to speak to Maura. She kept her face close to his, her escaped strands of hair tickled his face, "This needs to come off, Doctor..." he started tugging at her dress and smirked up at her, his tone was playfully and laced with lust. He was surprised when she didn't stop him from destroying the dress by pulling it up over her head and not bothering to unzip it. She must have been almost as desperate as he was to have their bodies connected.

Before Maura could ever begin on getting Alex out of his shirt, he pulled the straps down on her bra before she stopped him and pulled away, looking to Alex. Maura wormed her hands underneath Alex's shirt again before pulling them out and making slow, agonisingly slow work on the buttons, popping them open as she looked over his face. Alex reached up to try and pull away Maura's bra from her breasts but she moved her body out of Alex's grasp and smirked to him. Considering she was such a linear, by the book woman, Maura always knew how to drive a man crazy. She most definitely lived up to the phrase of;

_'It's always the quiet ones.'_

Maura pressed more of her body weight down onto Alex's hips and she narrowed her eyes to give herself a playful, seductive look as she worked the last button through the hole on his shirt and that's where her speed kicked back in. She pulled Alex up so she could yank the shirt down his sleeves and off of his body altogether, as she pulled him up towards her, she felt his hands on her hips and caressing over her back, their lips crashing together once again before she forced him down, back into the mattress.

Alex's hands still lingered on her bare skin at her waist and hips, toying with the waistband of her panties, as Maura casually let her hand trail down Alex's body, finding his boxers. Maura allowed her hand to slip under the waistband of his boxers, feeling his hardness, and squeezed her thighs against his as she imagined the feeling of him inside of her. She let her fingers lazily yet with some sort of urgency trace along his length, around his head and to cup him, to which Alex moaned everytime her fingers left one place and moved to another. She had him all confused, was he moaning because he missed the contact from the first spot, or because he enjoyed the contact in the second spot? He didn't know and he didn't want to figure it out yet.

He managed to regain some sort of semi-consciousness and he once again reached for Maura's bra, this time he let his hands move around to her back and he unhooked the clasp, freeing her breasts when she sat up realizing what he had done. Maura allowed the straps from her bra to tumble down her arms before she flung the appendage onto the floor with his trousers. It was then Alex sat up of his own will, his hands hugging Maura around her waist as his mouth went straight for one of her pert nipples, standing erect from the arousal burning through her. Alex managed to elicit a moan from Maura as he looked up at her, seeing her head tilted back as he sucked on that nipple, her hands in his hair as she straddled him still.

Alex had had enough of waiting now and swiftly grabbed Maura around the waist before he rolled them back over once more, her knees were bent either side of him and he looked to the blonde beneath him. Alex moved himself back a little and looked to those ruined lace panties Maura was wearing, "About time these were disposed of, don't you think?" he questioned her, but before Maura could even think of a reply, Alex all but tore them off her body. She arched up and gasped at the now liberated feeling she felt from shedding her clothing, especially the panties. Once they were removed, Alex moved back to his previous position when he had rolled them over and he pressed his lips against Maura's breasts, trying to get her to moan once again for him.

It was then while Alex was between her legs, she reached down and tried to push his boxers off while she arched up against his mouth on her breasts. Maura closed her eyes and swallowed as she felt Alex's tongue swirling around her nipple and his hand kneading at her other breast. She managed to push Alex's boxers down enough to feel the tip of his erection against her, skin on skin. Maura pulled Alex's face up to hers, begging for his mouth to collide with her own when she felt his free hand move to her core. He ran his fingers through her desire knowing she was more than ready to take him. With knowing Maura was ready for him, he lifted his hips so he could position himself at her entrance, Alex could sense Maura was already throbbing for him, throbbing for him to be inside of her.

"Please tell me you're on the pill or something. I want to be extra close to you, inside I mean..." Alex muttered against Maura's cheek.

"Yes, yes I do take a contracept-" Maura was cut off by Alex's lips forcing themselves against hers. Although he loved to hear how intelligent she was, and would never mock her for it, he didn't want to be hearing about her scientific terms now. There was a time and a place for that.

Alex wasn't usually one for just taking his own pleasure and leaving, but right now he wanted nothing more than to just take Maura like a whore. He had a feeling that was what she wanted too. So, Alex didn't waste time with slowly pushing into her and letting her muscles get used to the feeling of him inside of her. No, he just stormed in there, all guns blazing, as he pushed into Maura with force almost, ripping a ragged moan from her throat as he did so. He looked to her face as she arched up to him, flinging her back and squeezing her eyes shut. Alex smirked that this reaction from her was his doing. He pulled almost all the way out and slammed back into Maura with force, another raw moan from her throat. He could tell from her moan that it was not in pain, but sheer pleasure. She had needed this, she had longed for this.

The pace was race car, yet steady as Alex pounded into Maura. Both of them moaning and groaning against each other as their bodies slid against one another during the act. It was during the wild, fast paced thumping that Maura found herself remembering she did not like to be the submissive, not when it came to this kind of sex. She hated to feel that she was being controlled, so she braced herself against Alex's thrusts driving inside her and she flipped them over.

"You like being a top, huh?" Alex murmured as he placed his hands once again at Maura's hips, squeezing what little flesh she had there.

"Women often find this position; the Cowgirl to be a very fulfilling choice during intercourse." Maura quipped as though it were normal for her to broadcast the facts of life during a few rounds of left leg meets right leg. Which in all honesty, it was normal for her to do.

"Oh, and are you feeling full, Maura?" Alex smirked to the blonde atop of him. He smirked even more when he saw Maura's expression change and she narrowed her eyes to him, slowly lifting her hips away from his before grinding back down against him, again doing it agonisingly slowly. Alex both hated how she was teasing him, but he loved how she was doing it.

Maura began to quicken her pace as she continued to grind against Alex's hips and soon enough she felt his hands, strong hands giving her aid in moving on him. It was almost enough to have her screaming out blasphemous words as she felt Alex working inside of her still, though it wasn't quite enough. And Alex could sense that she was almost at her climax, she was hovering in that place, so he provided more help. He removed one of his hands from her hips and moved it to where their bodies were joined. Alex flicked his thumb over Maura's clit a number of times until he let it rest there, still helping her move on him before he pressed down.

The blonde was set off like a rocket into her climax. She continued moving, somewhat jerkily on Alex's cock, as she went almost rigid with that all too familiar feeling when it coursed through her body, tingling every nerve. Maura threw her head back as she let out her cries of pleasure from their bond, it was ecstasy for her. Pure, wild ecstasy.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen;**

As the two of them lay there in Maura's bed, thoroughly spent from their wild antics, the blonde heard her cellphone ringing out. She looked up at Alex as she was resting by his side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and his other around her waist, fingers gently brushing over her hip. Maura groaned a little and closed her eyes, sighing heavily as she made to get up and answer the call. As she began to sit herself up, Alex grabbed her and almost tackled her back into the mattress, pressing his lips to hers, "Leave it..." he murmured to her, into her ear before he nipped at her lobe.

"Alex, I should get it, they may need me back in the lab."

"Seeing you in that lab in so sexy. You know that?" Alex smirked to her as the cell finally ceased ringing out.

"Then you should let me get up and call back whoever that was." she smirked back to him as he hovered above her.

"Hm, is that what you really want, Maura...?" Alex questioned her as he allowed his weight onto one of his elbows and moved his free hand down her body.

The blonde had to bite her lip as she felt Alex's skilled fingers trailing over her skin to get to her most sensitive part of her anatomy. Maura hastily nodded before she could slip back into a pleasure filled coma, "Yes, yes...I need to see who that was who called."

Alex finally let Maura up after another twenty or so minutes of negotiation and she made her way to her dresser, naked of course. Maura had no shame or qualms about her sexuality and nakedness, so she moved to pick up the call, or as it stood now; calls. She noticed there were four missed calls on her screen, so she scrolled through them;

**4 Missed calls, Jane**

The doctor frowned and wondered why Jane had been so intent on calling her so much, until she saw the little voicemail symbol in the corner of the screen. Maura dialled her voicemail box service and listened to the messages that had been left in the time she and Alex had been enjoying themselves.

_'Maura, it's me. Where are you? I need to talk to you. Now'_

_'Hey, Maura, Jane again, can you pick up your damn cell? I guess dinner must really be something special...call me when you get this.'_

_'Doctor Isles, can you answer your goddam cellphone? I really need to talk to you about something...wait hang on, what Frost? No, I'm on the phone with the good Doctor's voicemail...she's obviously having too good a time with Mr Meal Ticket to answer to her good friend, the Italian Detective...Maura, seriously, call me as soon as you get this.'_

_'Maura if you don't answer your cellphone the next time I call, I'll be over there so fast, Bass will seem like he's going backwards in time! I HAVE TO TALK TO YOU. NOW!'_

Maura frowned as she heard the last message before she turned and looked to Alex and hung up from the voicemail service. She sighed a little and cleared her throat, "Alex, I have to go back into the office. Can you drive me back in?" she asked him gently, setting her cell into her Birkin bag and heading over towards her en suite bathroom door.

"Sure thing, what time are you needed back in?"

"Well, half an hour ago." she gave a wince and smiled a little.

"Sure, lets get ready and we'll be back there before you know it."

* * *

"Frost, she hasn't answered a single call!" Jane exclaimed to her partner as she frowned at his comment.

"You wanna head over to her place, and see if she's there?" he replied, questioning Jane's mood.

"I'm scared he's already tried it, Frost." Jane sighed, rubbing her forehead as she continued to look over the screens in front of them, reading and re-reading the information in the files on screen. She was scared for her friend's life, she didn't know what was going to happen.

"Jane, I can take you over there. You know I have your back." Forst told Jane before he smiled to her softly and nodded, assuring her.

"Lets get the hell over there." Jane hissed a bit, grabbing her things before heading out of the room, closely followed by Frost.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	15. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen;**

Maura looked at her reflection in the mirror as she applied her make-up and got ready to be driven into the autopsy lab to see what Jane needed her for. She winced a little as she applied her foundation near her mouth, around the poppy bruise now on her usually flawless, porcelain doll-like face. The lip was split a little and the gash had already began to glaze and heal over. Maura was always fascinated at how blood worked and how the body could heal itself after injury. She slowed her foundation brush down and gazed at the wound there, remembering just minutes before. It was as she was getting into remembering what had happened that Alex appeared out of the en-suite bathroom, just as Jane and Frost burst into her bedroom.

"Jane!" Maura frowned and then instantly saw Barry was with her, she blushed as they both caught sight of Alex in a towel, obviously after having showered.

"We need to take this Casanova down to the station, Maura." Jane quickly inserted.

"Wh-what?" Alex raised his brow and looked between Maura, Jane and Frost.

"Hey Jane, I'm not cuffing him like that." Frost said quickly to Jane.

"Cuffing, what? Why?" Alex was thoroughly confused.

"Oh, just put on some clothes and go with Frost!" Jane hissed to Maura's new love interest.

Alex grabbed his clothes and moved towards the upstairs corridor so he could change in Maura's spare bedroom, Frost went after him to make sure he didn't do a runner on them. Maura had turned back towards the mirror now and was applying the rest of her make-up so they could all leave as soon as possible. She saw Jane looking at her through the mirror and Maura pretended she didn't see her doing so.

"Maura...?" Jane stated, trying to get the Doctor's attention and to get her to look at her.

Maura looked down and to the side, away from Jane as she looked for her mascara as Jane neared her again.

"Hey, Maura look at me." Jane tried again.

It was then the Medical Examiner turned her face slightly towards Jane and blinked a little before she looked to the floor.

The Detective saw Maura's lip and she frowned before standing at Maura's side and she rested her hand over the blonde's, "Hey. Hey, what happened here?" Jane touched Maura's lip. The blonde winced and she tucked her hair back before she shook her head a little.

"Did he do this?" Jane asked Maura.

"Yes. No...! No, he didn't."

"Maura, don't be covering for him." the brunette sort of scolded her.

"I'm not."

Jane just gave the Medical Examiner a look, and Maura folded.

"Look, Jane. I slipped in the shower."

"You slipped in the shower?" Jane questioned Maura's comment, "You expect me to believe that?"

"Jane...you know I can't lie. Why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know, Maura. Cause you had sex with him?"

"Jane..." Maura looked to her and furrowed her brows a little before she sighed and turned back to the mirror once again, applying her make-up, "Why did you have to burst in here, anyway? And why are you taking Alex to the station? Jane, what's going on?"

"Maura, did he hit you?"

"No. No I told you, I slipped."

"Are you sure?"

"Jane, you know I can't lie, why won't you believe me?" Maura muttered as Frost poked his head back into the bedroom, announcing he was ready to go, with Alex in the cuffs.

"Okay, Frost. We'll be there in a minute." Jane nodded to the other Detective before he left and she turned back to Maura, "Look, we think he's dangerous, that's why we're bringing him along to the station...woah!" Jane noticed Maura's dress was on the floor in a dishevelled heap, along with her underwear from a couple of hours before. The brunette moved towards the dress and lifted it up, "You must really like him..." she smirked a little to the blonde Medical Examiner.

This comment made Maura blush and she offered a gentle smile to Jane before she nodded and then remembered what they had been talking about before Jane had noticed the wrinkled dress, "Jane, why do you think he's dangerous? What's brought this on?"

Jane was about to tell her, finding the words to tell the Medical Examiner why she and Frost had charged into her home to make a semi-arrest on the man Maura was with. She was rehearsing the words in her head and just as she was about to tell her, Frost let out a yelp and there was a slight thud. Both Maura and Jane rushed out to the upstairs corridor to see what had happened. There, they saw Frost and Alex in some heap near the foot of the stairs, one of Maura's shoes near to them.

"Oh!" Maura blushed and bit her lip a little, "I forgot I left that there."

Jane sighed harshly and shook her head, "Come on, we gotta get him into interrogation."

* * *

The blonde watched from behind the one-way mirror in the other room while Jane and Frost both took it in turns to interrogate Alex. Maura sighed as she watched Frost pacing in front of the window, her eyes were on Alex as Jane was using her gender, and height to intimidate Alex into telling her everything he knew.

Jane wanted to be careful about what she and Frost brought up as she knew that Maura was in the other room behind the glass. She wanted to tell Maura that Alex seemed to be involved with Victor and One Earth. She didn't want Maura to find out through listening to the interrogation. The brunette Detective looked towards the glass window and she exhaled before turning her attention back to Alex.

"Look, I'm going to ask you one more time. Where you involved with any of the following people; Andrew Stirling, Paddy Duncan, Ursula Canon, Brendan Doyle or..." Jane glanced to the screen before she was about to say the last name, it was then she heard the door of the other room closing, and she knew that Maura had left the room. Jane sighed and shook her head, turning back to Alex, "Victor Banks?"

"I've never heard of Duncan, Canon or Doyle." Alex stated plainly.

"Frost, take over, get him to tell you about Stirling and Banks." Jane ordered Barry before she made her way over to the door to leave, and head after Maura.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	16. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen;**

Jane found her sitting in the coffee shop in the Police Department, she was sitting alone, her hands curled around a cup of steaming coffee and seemingly staring into space. The Detective sighed as she saw Maura sitting there, obviously lost in her thoughts, and she felt a pang of guilt knowing that she had caused the Medical Examiner some of the pain she was obviously feeling at that moment. So with a brief lip bite, Jane made her way over to Maura's table and cocked her head a little to try and get the doctor to look at her.

"How did you find out about Victor?" Maura responded, looking down into her cup instead of looking at Jane. Her tone was flat, and there was a twang of hurt in the voice, though she wasn't pissed at Jane in the slightest way.

The Detective pulled out the chair opposite Maura and slumped herself down in it before she took a moment to find the right words to say to Maura, "Maura, I know this is hard on you but, I want you to help us out with this investigation, okay?" Jane avoided answering Maura's question, not because she wanted to, but the answer wasn't important right now.

"Three years Victor and I were married, out of those three years, we spent maybe a total of seven months together. As in, being together in person." Maura frowned and looked to her bare ring finger. She bit her lip and looked up at Jane, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Jane. I didn't think it was important, the divorce went smoothly, things just weren't an issue fo me..."

"An issue? Maura, this guy was a killer!" Jane looked to the doctor with a stunned expression written across her face. Jane scoffed, "How is that not an issue, Maura?"

"I found that out after we divorced. Jane, remember I told you that people are attracted to people who are attracted to them?" she asked the Detective, looking into her chocolate brown eyes, searching them for any emotion she could read and respond to, "That's what happened with Victor and I. Yes, after a while I feel in love with him, but I don't know...that nurse, Dominique...they were obviously more attracted to each other than Victor and I."

"Possibly, but now I doubt that because she showed up on the list for the victims who were identified at that village in India...she was killed, Maura. The same village Victor worked at, where the villagers all went up in flames." Jane told her friend.

Maura let out a long and exhausted sigh before she finally looked to Jane properly and she responded, "Jane, Alex didn't hit me, I slipped in the shower, he tried to break my fall but it didn't work." she stood up then, lifting her cup also, "I have to get back to work." she told the Detective, "Keep me updated." Maura gave a gentle nod before she left the coffee shop to head back to her lab and continue with what she had been doing before she had been to dinner with Alex.

All Jane could do was watch her leave, and sigh before she shook her head and sat there a few minutes more. Jane stood up and headed back into Interrogation to make sure Frost was still doing his job on the suspect; Alex.

* * *

Of course, Frost was not in Interrogation, Frankie and Korsak were there. Frost had decided on going to see if Maura was holding up, under the circumstances. He cared a lot for Maura, she had cured his phobia of dead bodies and he was able to set foot into the morgue without gagging anymore, that was partly because he wanted her to like him. He was smiling as he entered her domain, seeing her hunched over a corpse, already working on dissecting out the heart and other internal organs. Frost found it ironic that Maura was working on the heart, cutting it from the body it was beat inside. Barry felt that same feeling, knowing he had some feelings for Maura but she was already dating someone else. He felt as though she were cutting out his heart.

"Detective Frost." Maura smiled up at him as she held the heart in her hand, "How can I help you?" she asked him gently before she turned to place the heart inside one of the containers.

"I just wanted to come down, see what you're working on." Frost replied and gave Maura the s'up nod before smiling to her.

"Oh." Maura responded before she smiled a little hesitantly and then asked, "Did...Jane send you down here?"

"What? Doc, no. I just wanted to see where you're up to with this vic..." he replied, he was stuttering all over the place.

"Well, I have a more accurate time of death, also I know the cause of death wasn't asphyxiation, it was actually poisoning." Maura replied.

"Can you tell what the killer used to poison our victim, Doc?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet, Detective. But I could hypothesise that it may have been arsenic."

"So, we're looking for the spouse?" Frost questioned.

"Spouses are usually the first suspects in murders when the victims have a marital status, also male victims of poisoning fall into this category, because it has been proven that women usually choose poisoning over firing a gun." Maura told Frost.

"Unless you're Rizzoli..." Frost smirked a little.

Maura fired Frost a glare, not because she was pissed, but because of what he had said. Jane hadn't been married before, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't shoot her husband to murder him if she wanted to kill her husband.

"Wh...what I meant was, because she has good aim." Frost tried to recover his comment and succeeded, when he saw Maura nodding a little. Frost really couldn't help but stutter and stammer whenever he was around Maura, because everyone on the Homicide Unit at the Boston PD knew he had a thing for her. It was so obvious. Only it wasn't obvious to Maura, she was often naive to other's attraction to her, even if it was so obvious.

"Mm, that she does." Maura agreed after a few moments of silence.

Barry continued to watch Maura working on the autopsy, and smiled at her before he spoke up again, even though she wasn't looking to him, "How was...dinner?" he dared to ask.

"Nice, it was nice." Maura nodded, "I had a lot of fun." she replied, still working on the autopsy.

"That's good to hear, Doc."

Maura nodded slightly and paused what she was doing, looking through the operating goggles to Frost and she blinked a little, "Alex is a nice man, he looks after me and he's interested in what I tell him." she told Frost before sighing a little, "I don't think he would hurt me, ever."

Frost nodded gently, and inside he heard his mind screaming; _Neither would I, Doc. I'm interested in what you say too, always. _

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	17. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen;**

Maura smiled once she'd sown up the last stitch in the Y incision in the chest of the man on her slab. She looked up as she felt a set of eyes upon her, watching her work and she swallowed softly. Maura's smile disappeared swiftly as she saw who was standing in the doorway of her lab. The blonde frowned and she looked over him, taking in his appearance before she looked away, but still so she could see if he moved, through her peripheral vision.

"You look well, Maura." he smiled to her, raking his eyes over her body. Maura could tell he was mentally undressing her, because she had done the same.

"Why are you here?" she asked him. No 'hello' or 'how are you?' for him, she just shot a question back at him.

"I wanted to come and see you, is that such a crime?"

_No, but you are a criminal._ Maura thought but she shook her head and sighed, "No, I suppose not. But why now, after so long?"

"I just thought it was time."

"You do know if they catch you down here, you'll be thrown into some cell, without a court hearing?" Maura raised her brows, hoping he would be scared of her threat.

He took a step closer toward her, "Maura, come on. You think I'm going to stick around until your friends get their asses down her to cart me away to my 8x6?" he chuckled a little and shook his head, "You always did make me laugh. Maybe not with empty threats but, you were always so literal and straight that is was amusing...and you used to laugh at it too." he sighed a little. The intruder looked up at Maura and he rubbed his lined, tanned forehead, "What happened with us?"

"You mean apart from the obvious?" Maura snapped a little and furrowed her brows at him.

"Sassy, wow. You learn that from your Detective chick friend?"

"Victor!" Maura let out a harsh sigh, she was indeed pissed at him.

"No, really since you've been here, you seem to have gotten more sassy and streetwise. It's being around that chick all the time, isn't it?" he smirked to her then.

"Is it all that bad that I've grown more wise to people like you?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Maura?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

"Please, don't come closer to me."

"Maura, it's me. What am I going to do to you?" he raised a brow to her, it seemed genuine.

The Medical Examiner looked to her ex-husband and she blinked a few times before she looked directly at Victor, "I know what you did back in that village. Over in India, Victor."

He sighed and hung his head gently before he softly nodded, "I know you do, and I want to tell you that it wasn't supposed to happen, Maura."

"You mean, you had hoped you wouldn't get caught?" she questioned, with some snipe still in her tone.

"Maura..." Victor sighed and looked up at her, again stepping closer towards her. They were now on either side of the table, looking to one another. He sighed once again and jutted his jaw out as he studied her face, "You haven't changed one bit, you know? You still look exactly the same as the day we met." he smiled softly to her.

"Victor, sweet-talking is not going to get you anywhere with me." Maura told him, with that smile across her face. The same one she'd given Hoyt when she admitted she hadn't been scared by him.

* * *

"Look, Jane." Alex began and frowned, sighing deeply, "I really like Maura, and I wouldn't ever hurt her."

"You never laid a finger on her earlier?" Jane questioned, her voice was deep and almost fearful.

"I told you, and so did Maura. She slipped in the shower, I wasn't fast enough to catch her falling."

"So, Doctor Isles hit her face?" Frost interjected. Alex gave a nod, and Frost continued, "On what?"

"The water dials." replied Alex and sighed, "I'm surprised she didn't lose her teeth. She fell pretty hard, I felt so guilty when I saw her eyes begin tearing up." he frowned at himself, reminded that he had not been fast enough to catch Maura's fall in the cubicle.

Jane gave a glance to Frost who raised his brow and nodded back to her. She softly cleared her throat before she nodded slowly, "If I call Maura now, would she say the same thing?"

"I'm sure she would, yes."

"Jane, I believe him." Frost said and nodded to his fellow Detective.

Jane gave a nod before she sighed and lowered her voice to talk with Frost, "I know, so do I. Maura can't lie."

"So, what? You wanna let him go?"

"I think so, yeah." Jane looked to Frost, "What do you think?"

Frost looked back to Alex and gave him the s'up nod before turning back to his partner, "I do think he's clean, Jane. And Maura likes him."

"And Maura likes him...you know what happened the last time Maura liked someone?" Jane's tone changed slightly as she raised a brow, "He turned out to be a killer. Need I mention Garrett Fairfield?" Jane questioned and locked her eyes on Frost's.

"I say we let him go, Jane. If anything else happens, we know who to look for." Frost told her.

Jane took a few moments, letting her eyes search the table as she weighed up the options for her. Gently, she raised her head and she looked to Alex, watching how he reacted. Jane tucked back a few strands of her wayward hair and she nodded, her jaw was set, "You can go, Alex." she muttered to him.

Alex looked to Jane and he raised a brow before furrowing them both together, to knit tightly in the middle, "You're letting me go...just like that?"

"Why, you think we should keep you?" Jane bit back swiftly.

"No, no. I'm not saying that. I just think you had a change of heart too fast. But you are right in letting me go, Detective."

"Wouldn't wanna bring in the wrong guy when someone else is out there doing the bad stuff." Jane responded.

Alex nodded and began to stand up, "I also know who to call in case I do find out anything, Rizzoli." he said and gave her a soft smile.

"Just go on!" Jane hissed, though she smiled to Alex as he moved toward the door.

"Detective?" Alex started.

"What?"

"Is it okay if I call you Jane?"

Jane turned in her seat and she looked to Alex with a soft smile of recognition. She gave three gentle nods and smiled a little more to him, "It is."

With that, Alex left the two Detectives in the Interrogation Room. He sighed softly and stretched out a little just outside the door before he smiled, thinking of her. Alex wondered what Maura would be doing at that moment; sitting at her microscope and checking stem cells? Using her scalpel to cut a Y incision into the chest of the newest body brought in? Taking a DNA swab from the victim's mouth for scanning in any database? He didn't know, but he wanted to find out.

Alex smiled as he went on down in the elevator, humming to himself since he was excited to see his Maura once again, he wanted her to know that Jane knew he wasn't a suspect of working for Victor Banks. He saw the numbers on the digital dial falling and soon, he got to the floor where the autopsy lab was situated. As he stepped off of the elevator, Alex quickly spruced himself up, fixing his shirt collar and his already tufted hair into a more controlled style.

"Guess who's here to see his favourite Me-" Alex smiled as he pushed open the door, but when he saw the lab empty, he stopped himself, frowning slightly.

He stepped back a little and looked down the corridor to where Maura's office was and saw the evidence lockers. Not a sound from down the corridor. He moved back, allowing the door to the lab to swing shut again and he began the walk towards Maura's office before he peered through the window.

"Maura?" he called out softly and the only reply came from the desktop, humming gently.

Moving back along the corridor, he entered the lab this time, perhaps she was out back. A body may have come in and she was signing it over to the Boston lab. As he walked towards the doors, he noticed that the place she usually hung her coat was empty, and her purse was also gone.

"Maura?" he called out again, this time he had an edge of worry in his tone, "Maura, are you here?"

Again, there came no reply from the Medical Examiner and he really got worried, until he saw that her tools - a scalpel, gloves and her safety goggles - had been left out, next to the body she had been working on that morning.

_She left in a rush..._

Alex thought as he surveyed the scene; an uncovered corpse lay on the slab. The scalpel and gloves lay next to the shoulder, together. The goggles tossed onto the tray.

_Or, someone has forced her to leave..._

Alex bolted from Maura's lab and he missed the elevator, heading straight to the fire escape stairwell. He took off up those stairs in such a hurry, climbing two at a time so he could reach the Homicide department, and get to Jane. Once on the floor, he crashed through the door and almost knocked over Cavaunagh in the process of getting to Jane or Frost.

"She's gone!" he exclaimed, gasping for air, "Maura's gone."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	18. Chapter 17

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen;**

"She's gone!" he exclaimed, gasping for air, "Maura's gone."

Jane looked up from the notes she had taken during the interrogation with Alex and she sat there, her mouth gaping for a full three seconds before she blinked several times before replying, "What?"

"Maura. She's not in her lab...her coat and purse are gone." Alex looked to Jane, a panicked expression etched on his face.

"What do you mean she's gone, Alex, she stormed out of your interrogation." Jane hissed back, not wanting to believe what this man was telling her. She shot a glance at Frost who was also looking worried about the Medical Examiner before she glanced back to Alex and frowned deeply, "She's probably just gone home, to check on Bass and to think about things." Jane shrugged, looking back to her notes.

Alex shook his head and stepped closer to Jane's desk, "No Detective." he got her to look at him before he continued, "She didn't put away her gloves."

"What are you saying, Alex?" Frost asked him then.

"I think she was forced to leave."

"Forced? No, Maura wouldn't let that happen." Jane chipped in.

"I know she wouldn't but, I think this person could make her..." Alex swallowed and furrowed his brows, sighing a little.

"Who, Alex?"

He looked down, weighing up the last few hours. He'd gained Maura's trust, he really liked her and she liked him in return. Jane and Frost had let him go from the interrogation and now he was about to blow the trust by telling them what he knew. He sighed and prepared for what was to come, "Victor. I think Victor's taken Maura." he told them.

Jane stood up in a shot, already fishing for her gun in her drawer as she looked to Alex, "What?"

"Jane, come on..." Frost began to say.

"You told me you didn't work for Banks! Now, Maura's gone missing and I'm supposed to believe you?" she hissed to Alex.

"Woah! Detective, easy okay. I know what this looks like, and believe me, I'm kicking myself right now, but you have to trust me with this. I can take you to where I think Victor has Maura."

"Trust? Trust you?" Jane blew up in Alex's face at that point, cursing everywhere until Frost lay his hand on her shoulder, "I can't trust you Alex, I just can't."

"Jane, by the time you find her, it might be too late..." Alex told Jane.

Hearing those words; _it might be too late..._made Jane shudder and she looked to Alex, almost frantic to find Maura. She had almost lost her once before, she couldn't let that happen again. Jane searched Alex's eyes and she wet her lips before she gave a nod, "Help us." she swallowed and looked to Frost who gave a nod for backup.

"Of course." Alex gently replied.

"But if you try anything other than helping locate Doctor Isles, you won't see anyone other than a cellmate, you hear me?"

"I wouldn't try any funny business, Rizzoli. I'm no Mafia don."

* * *

Maura sighed as she looked through the front windscreen and bit her lip, "I thought you said we were going for a coffee, we've passed at least four coffee shops."

"I passed a quaint shop just outside of Boston, I don't want to run into someone you know." Victor replied, "Don't want them thinking bad about your reputation."

"Victor, where are we going?"

"I told you, just outside o' Boston."

"Why so far away, Victor?" Maura looked to him and furrowed her brows.

"Maura, really. Trust me." he smiled that smile that had always made her weak at the knees as he leaned with his free hand to brush over her cheek with his knuckles.

The Doctor sighed and she blinked twice as she watched Victor. The man she had been married to once before, the man who'd she had lived with, shared a home with, shared a bed with. Though she hated him for what he'd done to her; the affair with Dominique, she still loved him. Maura still had that place in her heart for Victor, and she probably always would.

"I just don't see why we have to be so far away from the town." she replied.

The blonde softly nipped at the inside of her mouth as she thought about the past and the part she had shared with Victor, swallowed at the memories thinking of him brought to her mind. She had noted that she had felt an elevated sense of excitement when she'd saw it was Victor who had been standing in the doorway of her lab, and she had looked over his body. Remembering how good he felt pressed against her, remembering that they had both saw the other naked.

Maura just didn't know what to do now that she was alone with Victor. She wanted to hate him and forget about him, but she remembered what her father had said to her; _'when you love someone you cannot stop loving them unless you did not love them in the first.' _She had found truth in what Paddy Doyle had said, and from that moment she had respected him, accepted him as her bloodline.

"Maura, come on...trust me, please." Victor flashed his perfect, pearly whites to her.

She felt herself swooning, mentally of course at the sight of Victor's smile. Maura bit the inside of her mouth and she smiled nervously, "That's what I'm afraid of. Victor, you can't just waltz back into my life and get me to trust you after what you did to me."

"You underestimate me, Maura."

Maura sighed heavily and she looked out of the window as Victor indicated left before she spoke up again, "You really killed me, Victor. I know we were drifting apart but...an affair?" she looked to him as she felt her amygdala gland begin to cooperate with her thoughts and she turned away, glassy eyed.

"Maur, come on. Be fair..."

"Fair?" she whipped her head around to look to him and she glared to him dangerously, "You had an affair, I was home alone, hoping you wouldn't bring home some...disease and you're talking to me about being fair, Victor?" she let out a sob and turned away from him again, her hair falling around her face to hide her tears from him.

Victor sighed and shook his head as he turned the car into an empty lot, it was a parking lot, one of those indoor ones. He gently glanced to Maura and swallowed, hoping she was more pre-occupied with hiding her tears to notice where they were. He looked over to the desserted lot and drove over to the doors, corrugated iron doors that led inside a storage facility. He had made it a little more homely for their stay there.

Swiftly as Victor moved into the lot and climbed up the levels to the one he had prepared, he glanced to Maura and noticed she was fishing through her purse; _Kleenex. _he thought and sneered a little before he parked up and all but jumped out of the car. Victor pulled a gun from the backseat and moved around to the passenger door, opening it for Maura before he grabbed her purse to get her attention and he swallowed a little, "Get out the car, Maura." he demanded, softly but it was not a request as he held the gun up at her.

Maura felt her face drain of all color as she looked up into the eyes she had gazed into many times before. With the tone Victor used she had expected to see hate and rage there in his eyes, but instead she saw what had always been present; love, devotion. She was confused, why was Victor aiming a firearm at her and making her get out of his car in a parking lot? She bit her lip, "Victor...?" she muttered, her tone indicated how frightened she was.

"Just get out of the car." he told her, again.

Before Maura could even think of a reply, Victor had basically launched Maura's purse onto the roof of the car and he reached in and grabbed her wrist with his now free hand to yank her out of the passenger seat, so she would comply with the plans he had made.

"Victor!" she hissed a little as she got out of the car, less graceful than she would normally, due to her ex-husband pulling her from the vehicle. She was passed shocked with his behaviour, the gun had done that for her. The Doctor bit her lip and she exhaled unevenly, a slow yet shaky breath was expelled from her nose, "You know they'll come for you..." she tried to frighten him once again.

Victor nodded and smirked a little, "Oh, I hope so." he began before he turned her around so he could walk with her. Leaning into her hair, he muttered into her ear, "And Alex is going to lead them here, just like I planned."

Hearing the words reverberate around her mind, Maura let her mouth hang open slightly before she turned her head sideways to look at Victor, "No..." she whispered, shaking her head.

"Yes..." Victor replied, pouting as she had often done when he had been called to jet off somewhere with his company, "Your Alex..." he sneered, "You trust too easily, Maura."

"I learned that a long time ago, Victor. When I married you!" she sniped at him.

Victor just smirked and shook his head as he marched Maura - grasping tightly to her lower arm - to the place in the storage facility that he had prepped for her 'visit' to him. He had looked forward to this day for a while.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	19. Chapter 18

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen;**

"Alex, you know where this place is, please get us there." Jane looked to the younger man.

"I will, Jane." Alex nodded back to Jane and gave her a reassuring smile, "I will."

Jane nodded and turned to look out of the window, as Frost sat in the backseat looking out of the rear window to see where their backup was. He heard Jane sigh and he gently leaned forward to rest an supportive hand on his friends' shoulder. She first turned to see his hand on her right shoulder before she looked over her left to see her partner looking to her with concern.

"Doc's gonna be fine, Jane. We'll find her." he told her before nodding and leaning back to look out of the rear window once again, "We got our back-up."

"That's the part I'm afraid of..." Jane replied to Frost, "In the last case, he didn't respond too well to back-up being brought in."

Alex raised a brow and he blinked a little, "What do you mean, he didn't respond well to back-up...?"

Jane shook her head and scoffed, "Forgot that detail did he, when he employed you?"

"Look, Detective I'm sorry..." Alex sighed and punched down the accelerator, making it as though he was getting rid of the back-up on their tail. He weaved the car through traffic, and onto a series of narrow B roads, to get to the facility Victor was keeping Maura. The place they had redesigned to keep her there until Victor decided what to do with her. Their original plan, it was coming together, even if Alex was bringing Jane and the cavalry.

"Alex, what are you doing?" Jane glared at him, her hand trying to save herself from slamming into the passenger side door, by clinging to the dash. She looked back at Frost and then back to Alex, she was getting worried about his behaviour. Back in the interrogation, Jane had been sure that Alex was a good man, he had been very convincing to she and Frost. But now, he was tking them and the back-up teams on a wild goose chase, probably while Victor did something bad to Maura. Jane was fearing that the most, and Barry sensed it too.

_'What if we're too late?'_

That was the question that both Jane and Frost had on their minds.

Jane watched Alex as he took a corner at near 50, sending her colliding into her passenger door, knocking the wind from her body. She thought it would be too risky to try and shoot him now, especially at this close range, with the speed he was driving. He could have a device on the car to ignite if a blast was fired. Jane could only hope and pray that nothing would happen to Maura while they were on their way to saving her.

* * *

Maura was frightened now. No, she was beyond frightened. She thought Victor was going to kill her. That probably was his plan. To get his revenge on her for sending him to prison those years back. The good Doctor had been one of the many witnesses to give a statement and testify against Victor in court, for his trail on the murders in that village in India. It had been Maura's oath that had swayed the jury into giving him a sentence and putting him away. And now, Victor was claiming back his life, and getting even on his ex-wife.

Victor was sneering down at Maura in the chair he'd tied her to. Bound her wrists behind her, like a criminal in custody, and bound her ankles. Those luxurious ankles, he once kissed and caressed, now caressed and encased in duct tape, and attached to the legs of the chair. He had circled her slowly, several times as a wolf would intimidate its prey before going in for the attack. He watched how her eyes had changed from the emotions she displayed; love, hate [they were pretty much the same thing in his eyes], hurt, rage and fear. They had all been present in Maura's eyes at one point.

"You know what I always found most attractive about you, Maura?" Victor finally spoke up to her, he stopped his intimidation act to talk to her.

"You always told me it was my naivety." Maura replied, her voice was small and childlike.

"Apart from your personality. It was your eyes. They're so expressive." he told her, moving around now to the front of the chair, so he could face her and look into her eyes, "I could always tell, when we were making love if you were enjoying it from the look in your eyes." Victor murmured, stepping closer to the chair so that he said it into her ear.

Maura basically jerked her head away from Victor, for fear of what he was going to do. He had never physically hurt her before, but at the sight of the gun, Maura had cowered and she instantly became scared of the man she was once married to. The Doctor looked up at him and she frowned a little, "Victor, what are you doing?"

"I'm reminding you of how it once was, Maura."

"Until you quashed that with the affair..." Maura muttered in reply.

"Dominique came onto me, remember?" Victor became suddenly defensive.

"I wasn't there when she 'came onto you' Victor, I had to leave, which is why you had the affair." Maura replied, in her usual tone.

"Maura." Victor sighed and frowned, looking down to the .45 in his hand before his eye line moved to his feet.

"Don't start with trying to get me back onto your side again. I know you did that when you came back when I first started working here. It's not going to work on me again, Victor." Maura held her own as she retaliated back to him.

"Yes, I did that Maura." he admitted, "Because I wanted you. I wanted you back with me because I hadn't been ready to divorce from you." Victor told her.

"Victor, please."

"No, Maura. Listen to me." he looked to her. It wasn't a pleading glance, he wouldn't lower himself to beg. He looked back into Maura's hazel eyes and he smiled to her, tucking back a stray strand of highlighted hair behind her ear, "I wasn't ready to lose you, Maura. Because you wanted to separate, I did want you wanted."

Maura looked up at Victor, her eyes searching his, "What are you saying, Victor?"

"I'm saying that I came back to give it another try." he explained, "Yes, there was the case, but it didn't mean I didn't love you, Maura. I knew you hated me for the affair, for Dominique, for what happened in that village, but I could see that you still loved me."

"No, Victor." Maura shook her head, even though both knew it was a lie.

When Victor had sought her out in Boston after their divorce, Maura had saw him and that minute she did, she had fallen back under his spell. Yes, they were both older now, and wiser but when she had looked at him she saw him as if she were reliving that first time again; back at the Medical conference in San Francisco. The spark had been set alight once again, because she had been lonely and it had been Christmas time, so she'd welcomed him back into her life again, always with the thought of giving their relationship another try.

It was like Victor knew that she had been lying, "I guess the good Detective has taught you something, Maura. You can lie, not very convincingly, but that doesn't matter." Victor smiled to her and leaned back against the table, facing Maura who was still tied in the chair, though she had by now given up on writhing to get free from the restraints.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lying, Maura. I can tell you're lying." Victor responded, seemingly un-phased, "Maybe someone who doesn't know you well enough would believe any lies, but I was married to you Maura, I can tell when you're lying. I could always tell."

"You think you know me well, Victor?"

He smiled back to her and gave a single nod of confirmation, "I would say so."

"Just because we were together for two years, and married for three more doesn't mean you know me Victor. Look at you, I never really knew you. Who you were, and still are." Maura replied.

At Maura's words, Victor launched himself toward her in the chair, moving his hands to the armrests either side of Maura, forcing her back against the back of the chair and looking up at him with a deviant glare, looking up into his eyes. She was goading him now, wanting to see what he would do or say to her.

Victor moved his face closer to Maura's and he smirked down to her, "I know a lot about you Maura. A lot." he muttered to her, trying to invade her personal space, something he knew she took great care in keeping her own. He saw how she was trying not to let him get to her so he chuckled and noticed the same stray strand of hair had escaped from behind her ear when she'd jerked her head away from him. Gently, Victor reached and stroked over that strand, tucking it behind her ear and letting his fingertips trail along her jawline, tipping her face up to his.

Maura squirmed at what came next. Victor's lips pressed down harshly against hers, causing her to weld her eyes closed and frown deeply at the contact from him.

When he pulled back, Victor saw that Maura wasn't looking at him. He figured that she had closed her eyes so he would not be able to see what she was feeling. He smiled at her, studying her face. She still looked the same, even after everything that had happened between them, with her family, Maura hadn't seemed to have aged.

"Why didn't you ever re-marry, Maura?" he asked her gently, still invading her space, but his face had moved away from hers so he could watch he, "I always thought there'd be men lining the streets to even have a chance at getting close to you."

Slowly, Maura opened her eyes and she took in Victor's face a few inches away from hers, "I'm married to my job, Victor. You knew that when we were married. Two doctors being married to one another just doesn't work." she told him. Maura knew from some of the college alumni she had kept in touch with that any of them who had married a fellow doctor hadn't worked, just like she and Victor. There was hardly ever time spent together. She felt as though being married to Victor was like being an Army or a Marines' wife, especially since Victor had spent his days off working Doctors Without Boarders and with One Earth.

Victor, on the other hand thought it was a different reason, "Because you still love me."

Maura looked to Victor, her mouth hung open softly and she then closed it and looked down, away from Victor.

_Why did he have to come back into my life?_

"I knew it, Maura." Victor nodded and gently crouched down in front of her in that chair. He placed his hand over hers and moved his face to get her attention, so hopefully she would look at him, "The minute you looked up when I steeped into that autopsy lab, I saw it. In your eyes." he smiled gently.

Maura caught Victor's eyes and she gently swallowed, "You saw that, today?" she asked him, her voice was even smaller than before.

"I did." Victor nodded and smiled a little more to her.

_He's right. I did let my feelings show._

"Maura, look..." he sighed, placing the gun onto the table behind him, "I didn't mean to frighten you with that." he gestured to the gun, "I just wanted to talk to you. Get to know you, again."

Maura saw his smile was sincere and genuine, and she nodded to him. The doctor tilted her head and she sighed a little, "What about Alex?"

"Him? He was just doing some sniffing for me, finding you for me."

Maura looked down and she bit her lip as she thought over things that had happened with Alex. He'd just showed up one day, the day she began working with Jane. He had found her pretty fast, and he'd also got into her life pretty fast too. But he was charming and she hadn't minded. She looked back to Victor who was standing now, with a small pocket knife in his hand and was moving towards her with it.

"Here, let me get you out of these." he smiled to her, "And we can have some coffee...?" he offered as he reached for her left wrist to cut away the tape that bound Maura to the chair.

The doctor nodded and she sighed, waiting for Victor to cut her out of that chair. She really didn't know what to believe, but Victor was being his usual charming self, the way she'd always remembered him. Maura knew it was no use in running because she knew Jane would be on her way to find her, but at the same time Victor had wiped out an entire village in India, he could easily lessen the population, starting with her. However, she nodded and looked to him as he turned to put away the pocket knife and the gun, and moved towards a percolator to make them some coffee.

* * *

Jane was clinging onto the handle above her head in the car as Alex continued to take corners at speeds which obviously exceeded the limit. She dared to look back at Frost before she glared at Alex, still driving. It was a wonder they hadn't been killed yet. She really would love to take this guy down. And she **would **get her day with him. Alex had already gotten his wish and lost the backup truck, and cars before he swerved the Lexus into a compound and bolted up towards the doors. Those same doors Victor had passed through with Maura.

Alex drove through the parking lot, and up the levels until he found Victor's car parked there, and he heard Jane gasp, already unbuckling her belt.

"That's Maura's Birkin." she told them. It was sitting on the roof of Victor's car still, he had ragged it from her hands as he pulled her from the car, at gunpoint.

Alex parked up and locked the doors, using his central locking system before he let himself out, sneering at Jane and Frost through the front windshield as he took off to find Victor and Maura.

Jane turned and looked to Frost, looking slightly queasy from the detour they'd taken, "What the hell do we do now? We're locked in!"

"Break the window." Frost shrugged, "I'm sure he's not going to mind the window getting a little smashed up. He's got the money to fix it."

Jane nodded and she got herself into a position, enabling her to break a window. Rizzoli wrapped her foot in her jacket and she looked to Frost before giving him a nod to shield his eyes in the case of shards flying back on them. She pulled her leg back and swiftly fired her boot toward the window, her arm covering her face. The boot hit the window and went through, the sound of shattering echoed through the eery, empty lot and she looked to Frost, smirking with achievement.

"Here, use this to smooth the edges." he handed her a half full bottle of alcohol.

Jane looked to the glass bottle in her hand and she looked to Frost then, "You couldn't have given me this before I nearly performed a self amputation?" she chuckled and went to breaking the last bits of glass at the edges of the smashed pane. Quickly, Jane threw the bottle out before she climbed out of the window herself and swept over the lot to make sure there was nobody there to ambush them before motioning for Frost to join her.

"Come on, he took off this way..." Jane told Frost who grabbed his gun and followed after Jane.

* * *

Maura was sitting with her leg crossed over the other as she sipped her coffee with Victor, smiling to him. She sighed as she tucked back her hair with her free hand and she felt a gentle blush sweep across her cheeks under Victor's gaze, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Maura gave a gentle chuckle.

"You. You're just...amazing Maura. Really." Victor smiled to her, and laid his hand on her knee gently.

The doctor looked down to Victor's hand on her knee and she smiled before covering it with her own, "Victor...?" she began, and looked up at him again, "You...you were right."

"About what?"

"About me still having feelings for you. I never stopped. I felt that strong hate for you because I wanted it to be lies. The things that happened. I wanted to punish you because you broke my heart, but it didn't stop me from wanting you."

Victor shuffled forward in his chair and he looked into Maura's eyes, setting down his cup onto the table before he closed both of his hands around Maura's, "I know. I know how you felt Maura, and if I could take it all back and start again, I would...but then I see how strong this has made you and I admire that quality in you. Maura, you can grow from your bad experiences, and turn them into something positive, something you can use."

Maura nodded, "What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger." she replied softly, looking into his eyes and getting lost in them.

Victor nodded to Maura, "I miss you, Maura." he told her, "God! I miss you." he whispered to her as he leaned in closer towards her, with the intent of kissing her. It was at the moment, the door flew open and crashed back against the filing cabinet behind it.

"Back away from her, now."

Maura wheeled around and there she saw Alex standing in the doorway, "Alex, what are you doing here? And with that gun?"

"I'm saving you, Maura. You know what he's capable of, you testified against him, remember?"

"Alex..." Maura and Victor both tried, as Victor stood, gently letting go of Maura's hand.

"Don't you come toward me, Victor!" Alex threatened, lifting the barrel of the gun and aiming it at Victor. Maura's eyes went wide at the scene she was witnessing, nobody had aimed at someone she loved before and Victor could sense that.

"Maura, it's alright." he told her, glancing to her before quickly averting his gaze back to Alex.

"Yes Maura, it will be alright...when I shoot him and he's dead." Alex glared at Victor.

"Alex, please." Maura now stood up and she looked to Alex, standing next to Victor, but just slightly behind him.

"Maura, it's what he deserves."

"No, Alex. It's not." she looked to him, trying to get Alex to focus on what he was saying, "Please, put the gun down." she was trying to negotiate with him. And she was doing a poor job at it, since Alex raised the weapon once again and his grip tightened around it. Maura grabbed onto Victor's hand and squeezed, she was scared about what would happen.

"Alex, come on, we can work this out." Victor smiled gently, trying to win his employee over.

"I don't work for you anymore, Banks. I'm doing what's best for Boston." he told Victor, taking aim on Victor.

Maura saw his finger ready to squeeze on the trigger and swiftly jumped in front of Victor as Alex took his shot.

The shot fired, as did two others.

Alex went down, and so did Maura.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	20. Chapter 19

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Ninteen;**

Jane Rizzoli knew she shouldn't be there, none of the Boston P.D should have been there. It was something tragic that had happened, accidents like that happened each year in the police departments around the Boston state and the other states in America. It was just something that couldn't be helped but when it happened, the dead were remembered properly and had special service awards.

Looking down, Jane Rizzoli sighed and shook her head, not wanting to look. She had wondered why it had had to happen, Jane didn't understand why it had happened. Most of the time, she knew people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time for these kinds of accidents, but Jane Rizzoli knew that this had been no accident.

She stood dressed in her usual smart, boxy suit as she paid her respects to the dead. Jane hated funerals, she had been to so many and yet they still made her feel creeped out and uncomfortable. Jane stood shaking her head as she watched her colleagues and others involved move up to the varnished box to lay in some roses and drop in trinkets to be remembered, it was then she remembered something and it caused a gentle smile to wave across her lips as she stared down into the box.

_"Hey." Jane said softly but firm to get Maura's attention, "Everything happens for a reason, Maur. I'll bet being with Victor has taught you a lot."_

_Maura nodded, "Why do you think I'm scared of people? Living ones..."_

_"You're afraid of getting hurt." Jane stated after she thought over it, "Maura, just because one guy treats you like that, doesn't mean they're all the same."_

_"I know, but it's..." she remembered a study she had looked into and she swallowed, "It's like Dianetics. A mental science. Say you ate something and got sick from it. Every time you ate that thing again after getting sick one time, your mind tells you that it's contaminated and triggers a reflex. It's like muscle memory." Maura tried to explain, "Every time I see an attractive man and I feel something toward him, I'm scared to let him into my life in case he turns out like Victor."_

Jane sighed a little and smiled still, it was a bittersweet smile as she looked into the coffin of her friend, Maura Isles. The brunette swallowed back her tears and softly reached to tuck back some stray hair behind Maura's ear, "You look as elegant as always, M." she smiled and then whispered, "Don't worry about your turtle, he's all safe with me." She couldn't help but smile a bit brighter as it had been their joke for so many years, "I miss you Maura. You're always going to be a part of me, girl." Jane sighed and then as she was walking away, she whispered, "Always." Looking once again back to Maura's lifeless body in the coffin.

It was then, she woke with a start.

"Gahhh!" she shook her head as she sat bolt upright in bed, looking around the room and checking herself to see where she was. She was definitely in her room, in her bed and there was nobody else there. Jane sighed, a cold sweat had developed on her skin, "This damn funeral's gonna kill me." she muttered to herself.

Jane realized at that moment, that the funeral was that day. She had to go, it's what Maura would want.

* * *

She finally got to the memorial service, and slipped inside the building. There, she saw Frost and her ex-partner Korsak standing with the heads bowed. In front of them, the cedar wood coffin was displayed, open. Jane moved along the wall, so she could get to the row where Korsak and Frost were standing. Jane slipped into the row of seats where they were and she gave Korsak a nod before bowing her own head and sighing a little.

She took a few moments to gather her thoughts, and remembering the dream, or rather nightmare she'd had before she jolted awake, Jane looked up to the coffin at the front of the memorial hall. As she glanced up, she couldn't help but notice that beautiful head of hair in the front row of seats. The Detective tilted her head and saw the woman was crying. That woman was all too familiar.

"Excuse me..." Jane whispered as she moved back out of the row and along the aisle next to the wall, to get to the woman at the front of the hall. Once she reached the front, the woman was not at her chair and Jane frowned as she looked around the hall, before noticing the door at the back of the hall closing over gently. The woman had obviously left the hall.

Jane made her way back up the aisle and left the back of the hall, closing over the door as gently as the woman who'd left had done. The Detective sighed, pleased to be out of the stuffy hall and away from the mourners in there. She rested her hands on her hips before she looked up at the sky. When Jane exhaled, she noticed the woman lighter haired woman sitting on a bench across from the doorway, with her back to Jane.

Gently, the Detective moved slowly and tentatively towards her, stopping just a few feet away from the woman and she spoke up softly, "I know it's hard." she said comfortingly.

In response, Jane heard a sniffle from the woman before she sighed and cleared her throat a little, before nodding.

Jane had waited for a verbal reply from the woman, but it never came so she moved closer toward her, "But...it will get better, you know?" she received another nod from the seated woman, "Maybe, instead of focusing on what's happened, look at the good things that you remember. That might help ease some of the pain." Jane hoped she was saying the right things to her before she decided to give the woman some space, "If you need some space, I can go..." she suggested, already walking away before she heard a sharp gasp and then the woman's hand grasp in hers.

"Please, don't go." she asked of Jane, looking up at her, pleading with her eyes.

Jane looked down to her and saw the want for the Detective to stay with her, and she sighed, "If that's what you want." she nodded.

"I do." she nodded in return and frowned.

Rizzoli watched her and bit her lip slightly before asking, "How's your shoulder?"

"It's still sore. I shouldn't have jumped in the way."

Jane looked down and gave a gentle nod, she agreed but she didn't at the same time, "You don't really believe that."

"...is he locked away, again?"

Jane just nodded.

"Good, I guess it's where he belongs." she swallowed and looked down to her lap, her dress wrinkled from sitting down too long. Sitting there, thinking about what had happened in the last few days before attending that memorial service. She thought about how things had turned out; he had been aimed and fired at, and she had saved him from being killed, only to be injured herself in the process, keeping him alive. While the man who's service it was had been shot at point blank range by the Detective she was talking to.

Jane sensed that she did not mean what she said, "I know you don't mean that. I know you're upset and angry, I would be too. But...I know you did that because you still love him, Maura."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


	21. Epilogue

_Author's Note: _**Disclaimer; **I do **not** own any of the characters in this fic, they belong to the amazing Tess Gerritsen, and TNT. However, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Epilogue;**

_"I know you're upset and angry, I would be too. But...I know you did that because you still love him, Maura." _

Her friend's words continued to wash over her as she sat behind that safety glass of Souza-Baranowski correctional facility, waiting for the person she had come along to see. To speak to. It had been almost six months since the incident had happened, and her shoulder was basically fully healed now. She had not yet been to see the man who had been the cause of it all, but she was there now, to see him and talk things over with him.

She watched as the other inmates were allowed to go to their respective windows and talk, and talk to their relatives waiting for them. She knew what she to do. It was then, she saw him and she swallowed. Everything she'd been telling herself on the drive over there, and while she had been sitting there had flown out of the window.

He sat down in front of her and she wet her lip, blinking as she studied over his face. He watched her and then smiled before reaching for the phone at the side of their booth. He was glad she was there to see him.

"..._you still love him, Maura."_

There was Jane's voice in her mind once again, as she reached for the receiver also, still staring at him. Jane was right. She smiled to him from behind that glass before she swallowed, "Victor..." she began and trailed off.

"Maura, I'm glad you're here, I was worried about you."

"My shoulder's fully healed now." she replied and gave him a gentle smile, "The round cut through my Subscapularis. I couldn't really do my work, but I could type up my reports. The Police Department had to hire me an assistant." she smiled a little more again, with an added giggle.

"I'm sorry about what happened Maura, I really didn't think it would get this crazy." Victor responded.

"You mean, getting yourself landed in here?"

"Again, I'm not taking back the fact Detective Rizzoli taught you how to be sassy like that." Victor smirked then his smirk softened again, "No, I meant you getting hurt. I would never have wanted that, Maura. Ever."

The Doctor looked to Victor, disbelieving his words, "You were the one who wanted me d-"

"Dead? No. I wanted to see you. It was Alex who suggested that part."

"Alex...?" Maura tilted her head, she had been sure that it was Victor who had wanted her gone. It was then Maura realized it had been Jane who had shot Alex, and not Victor. Had they figured out that he wanted her dead? Or was it because she had run in front of Victor to save him being shot?

"Yes. Your friend is very good, Maura. She saved your life." Victor smiled. If there hadn't been glass between them, he would have touched her hand, "And you saved mine. And I am and will be eternally grateful to you Maura, I can promise that."

Maura shook her head and was ready to replace the receiver back onto its holder, "Like you promised me marriage? To look after me in sickness and in health...you promised me fidelity, Victor and you broke that promise."

"Maura, wait." he sighed, "I can promise you that I will look after you. Seeing you save my life made me realize how much you love me. And that in turn, made me realize that I made a mistake with Dominique. I had everything I ever wanted with you, and I didn't see that. Can you forgive me?"

The Doctor sat there, staring at Victor and she nodded a little, holding onto the receiver. Maura looked into Victor's eyes and she swallowed, "I already did. By saving you..." she whispered.

**End.**

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading lovely people. Remember, **_R&R. _**


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